Russell Martin, the former Scotland international defender, has been striving to get the Saints back to the Premier League at the first time of asking, and he has been making a respectable job of it.
A few of Martin’s options are limited by long-term contracts at St. Mary’s Stadium, but a few have contracts that expire at the end of the current campaign, so as of right now, they won’t be Saints players beyond June 30. Let’s look at those guys.
Joe Lumley
Martin brought Lumley in after Middlesbrough released him because Southampton needed a third-choice custodian in the summer to back up Gavin Bazunu and Alex McCarthy.
Despite the Royals’ relegation to League One, Lumley was selected Players’ Player of the Year for his efforts in goalkeeping during his loan from Boro to Reading last season.
Nevertheless, the 28-year-old was aware of the outcome when he joined Southampton’s team, and it is unlikely that he will play in the Championship in 2023–2024 unless both McCarthy and Bazunu suffer injuries.
At the end of the season, Lumley has every opportunity to decide to stay on the south coast if he is content to be third in command.
Alex McCarthy
McCarthy has been a fixture in the Southampton team for a long time; however, this may be his final season. He is currently in his eighth season.
Over the past year and a half, the 34-year-old Bazunu has emerged as the team’s first-choice custodian, albeit towards the close of the previous campaign, the seasoned stopper saw some action under Ruben Selles.
However, McCarthy is potentially valuable to other Premier League teams because to his homegrown status; as a backup custodian, Crystal Palace, Everton and Luton Town expressed interest in him during the summer.
McCarthy’s long tenure with the Saints may be coming to an end since there is a good likelihood that at this point in his career, he will transfer to a premier team in England and be their third-choice for a higher salary than he is currently receiving.
Stuart Armstrong
Another long-term Southampton player is Armstrong, who has been here for six years after joining from Celtic. His contract expires in June.
The 31-year-old has played a significant role in the Premier League for the Saints over the years, but after being demoted, Italian team Torino showed interest in signing him.
For the Scotland international, it was all in vain; although he began the season coming and going from Martin’s starting eleven, Armstrong has steadily improved since October.
But would Armstrong be up for a new challenge? Time will tell; as of October, negotiations over a new contract had not yet begun, but he is still valuable to the Saints’ engine room and should still be able to contribute in the Premier League.
Che Adams
With Everton having made a £12 million offer for Adams’ services in August, many anticipated that he would depart during the summer transfer window. However, to the surprise of many, the Scotland striker did not make a move before the market closed.
Adams has played as an attacking midfielder and a center-forward during the season due to Martin’s system changes, and the signing of David Brooks in January will only increase competition for spots at the top of the pitch.
Although Adams has continued to be productive, it is still the case that a three-year contract that has been discussed since 2023 has not been signed. The 27-year-old appears to want to wait until the summer to see where Southampton is in the league standings.
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