Southampton: Targett and Fulham gain Premier League promotion
By Marc Walker
Matt Targett and Fulham triumphed in Saturday’s Championship play-off final at Wembley with a 1-0 win over Aston Villa.
The Left-Back – on loan at Craven Cottage from Southampton since January – played his part in the game over the 90 minutes and the Cottagers would run out deserving winners overall.
Tom Cairney’s goal after 23 minutes was enough to see Fulham win despite a late red card for defender Denis Odoi, and they will join Wolves and Cardiff as opponents for Southampton in the Premier League next season.
This game was in fact his second appearance at the national stadium this campaign after featuring for the Saints in their 5-2 defeat to Spurs back in December.
He has enjoyed a successful season in London and will surely be interested in a permanent move away from St Mary’s after experiencing his first sustained burst of first-team football.
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The £160m in extra revenue that promotion provides Fulham will give them the opportunity to strengthen their squad over the summer transfer window, and could see them make an offer for Targett after his highly successful spell.
He is a player of Premier League quality after some impressive showings for Saints, and he often grabbed any opportunities that came his way with both hands.
However, he is second-choice behind England international Ryan Bertrand and may feel that he needs to move to further his career. After representing his country at u21s level, Targett could even push himself into the reckoning for the senior team with regular Premier League game-time.
He could even be joined by fellow academy graduates Harrison Reed and Sam McQueen in leaving St Mary’s before the start of 2018/19.
It is also possible that Ryan Bertrand may move on from Southampton this window, so Targett may be recalled and take up a bigger role ahead of next season.