It was reported in the Daily Star this morning that the financial strain of the Coronavirus would force a player fire sale at Southampton this summer.
The article stated that core players such as Danny Ings, Nathan Redmond and James Ward-Prowse would be in the shop window if the club could not find a buyer to purchase Gao Jisheng’s 80% stake at St Mary’s.
However, this has now been rubbished by a journalist with much closer ties to the club.
BBC Radio Solent’s Adam Blackmore is a reliable source of information when it comes to Saints news and he has tweeted about what he has heard about the situation.
His verdict is that there is “0% chance of those English players being sold this summer”, which emphasises the importance of assessing the source of a story before believing anything.
The response I’ve had to the red top story on #saintsfc is ..
— Adam Blackmore (@AdamBlackmore) May 24, 2020
“0% chance” of those English players being sold this summer
“Couldn’t be further from the truth”
PEH has a year left & has made comments so club will need to sell if he doesn’t sign - more on him 👇 from yesterday https://t.co/3pgDPsZC1j
Even without Blackmore’s say on things, the report from the Star would be quite unbelievable.
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- A lament for Southampton legend James Ward-Prowse
Each of Ings, Redmond and Ward-Prowse as crucial players in what Ralph Hasenhuttl is trying to build on the South Coast and the club would risk losing many key parts of their long-term plans if they sold them on.
Hasenhuttl himself would be likely to leave, the support of the fans would dwindle at seeing things falling apart and the squad would become very weak in comparison to Premier League counterparts.
Something must have triggered the Star to write this story, but it appears that it has come from no one inside the club itself. The basis of it is also purely based on a presumption that Saints again sell as many players as they did back in 2014, which is definitely not going to happen if they are looking to build something gradually.
According to previous reports from the Daily Echo, investment in the club would be welcomed. Financial strains are being put on the club by the current situation too, but it appears that Gao Jisheng is not actively looking to sell at this time.
The important thing for fans to remember is that there are important blocks in place for the future, but players like Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg leaving sometimes cannot be stopped and it is unrealistic to suggest that the club can hold him and others against their will.