According to media reports goalkeeper Alex McCarthy is in big demand from several other Premier League clubs, but how true are these reports and will Saints face a summer dilemma ?
Predictably the media is full of reports about impending offers for Alex McCarthy, Liverpool are said to be interested as are Spurs and Wolves, but are these concrete reports or are they just McCarthy's agent stirring things up to get his client a big new contract at St Mary's or indeed elsewhere.
Of these three clubs if you look below the surface McCarthy signing for them doesn't look as realistic as the rumours may suggest, Liverpool after their goalkeeping disaster in the Champions League final need to bring in an experienced name, McCarthy will not be a signing that they could take a risk on, their fans would not be happy, this summer they have already shown a statement of intent with signings announced, they want to win the Premier League they are not going to sign a keeper who has barely played in four seasons and only 18 League games in two years, it's too much of a risk.
Spurs have Hugo Lloris, he is their established number 1, the back up keeper Vorm is leaving because he has barely played a league game in his time at the club, Spurs also have ex Saint Paulo Gazzaniga as third choice, McCarthy would fit the bill as back up, but little else, but would he be willing to throw away his career as Vorm did to be a well paid bench warmer ?
Wolves could be an option, they have the money, but in John Ruddy they have a steady proven keeper who in many respects is no better or worse than McCarthy, but ceetainly more experienced.
McCarthy's stock is high amongst Saints fans at the moment, but is that opinion a little though the rose tinted spectacles of the euphoria of staying up?
McCarthy played 18 Premier League games for Saints, in cannot be denied his last four were great performances, but with the benefit of hindsight the other 14 were in the main solid but unspectacular, certainly in the late March early April period when Saints shipped 3 goals in 4 consecutive games, Newcastle, West Ham and Arsenal away and Chelsea at home, no one was touting McCarthy for Liverpool or Spurs back then, in many respects he was no better or worse than Fraser Forster.
So although Saints fans think highly of McCarthy have they seen enough of him to know whether he is the long term option in the club's goal, perhaps many of those who would say yes do so based on the fact that he isn't Fraser Forster who has been blamed for much of the club's defensive problems last season, it should be noted problems that never really improved until the final four games.
Saints dilemma though is what to do, McCarthy is now entering the final year of his contract, some would ask how has that been allowed to happen ? the answer is that up until five months ago there was no need to offer him a new one, he had not played a League game for the club and indeed prior to his appearance at Manchester United on the penultimate day of December had managed just two League cup appearances 15 months earlier.
Injury had perhaps restricted his opportunities the previous season, but until things got desperate in December he was no nearer a game than he would have been had he not been injured, he was seen as solid back up, perhaps nothing else.
So I'm sure that Saints will be keen to sign him to a long term deal, but their dilemma is not simple, McCarthy is surely going to want first team football now, that would rule Spurs out, he will want guarantees at Saints that he will get it, do Saints consider him better than Forster, our former number 1 keeper gave us several good seasons and although some will be loathe to admit it some decent games early on in this season.
Forster's problem is a lack of confidence at the moment not a lack of quality, he is known and proven to the club at Premier League level, whereas McCarthy had barely played a game in four years since his last stint as a number one choice for Reading in the Championship in 2013/14, indeed that season itself remains his only full season as a first choice keeper apart from a loan spell at Yeovil in 2009/10 when ironically he missed playing against Saints at St Mary's after being sent off the week before although he did play in our 1-0 win at Yeovil at the tail end of the season.
So Saints have to be asking themselves why that was the case, they see him every day in training, was the lat few games of this season a fluke or does he really have it in him to be consistent enough for a whole season, that is the question Wolves will ask if they are serious about signing him, John Ruddy has a proven track record of full seasons.
But if contract talks are stalling and McCarthy's agent is touting him around, could it be in Saints interest to take a big offer for him, with a year left on his contract he could walk for free next year, so if Liverpool or Spurs are stupid enough to pay £20 million plus or even the £30 million touted in some sections of the press, then surely that might be good business for Saints ?
They already have Fraser Forster at the club and even if his confidence issues are not solved then for the money we would get for McCarthy then we could get as good elsewhere, Joe Hart could be an option, so could Jack Butland or Tom Heaton at Burnley as could several other short term options, just these three names though perhaps tell you why the McCarthy rumours may be nothing more than that, all three would probably be choices for Liverpool, Wolves and Spurs before our man.
So if Saints do sell McCarthy it will not indicate that we are a selling club or we have no ambition, it will show we have our heads switched on and make decisions based on what is good business practice, we have to trust the club to know what they are doing and although some will disagree, the fact that McCarthy is even being discussed at present shows that in the main we make the right decisions when it comes to buying and selling players.
We get it right more than we get it wrong, this is the only way forward for Saints in the modern game, we have to buy and sell, the three relegated clubs found out this season that your squad is intact for only one reason and that is no one else wants your players and you stagnate, Saints keep building new teams because they have to they have no choice, it does not make them a selling club but a successful one, when the top teams stop wanting to buy our players then we will be following the same path as Stoke, West Brom and Swansea, I fear that more than I fear selling Alex McCarthy or for that matter any other player in our squad.