Southampton: Report confirms that Saints defender will sign new deal

Southampton defender Jack Stephens is reportedly set to sign a new four-year deal to extend his stay at St Mary’s.

Via a report from the Athletic, the 26-year-old has agreed terms and joins Ralph Hasenhuttl, James Ward-Prowse, Shane Long and Will Smallbone in committing to Saints.

After originally spending a lot of time on the bench and having to wait for opportunities to start games, Stephens has become a regular starter and has gone on to make 133 appearances in red and white so far.

He joined Saints from Plymouth as a youth player and progressed through to the fringes of the first-team by 2013. Loan spells with Swindon Town, Middlesbrough and Coventry City furthered his development as he looked to push into senior plans.

As a largely consistent defender, Stephens impressed last season but also showed other attributes that make him an important presence for Ralph Hasenhuttl currently.

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Three assists from central-defence saw him using his passing ability well, with all of these assists coming from lofted balls up to the attackers in dangerous areas.

Stephens has Jan Bednarek and Jannik Vestergaard competing for a start in defence at the moment and new summer signing Mohammed Salisu is expected to be available for selection in October.

In other contract news, the Athletic also confirm that Ryan Bertrand has been offered a new deal by Saints and that Danny Ings is in negotiations with the club too.

With a slightly shaky start to 2020/21, securing key players to long-term contracts will be a big factor in settling things back down at St Mary’s.

Ralph Hasenhuttl has explained how a lack of match fitness is hindering his team at the moment and things will hopefully turn round soon so that fans can start to see where Saints will end up come May.

After two losses to Crystal Palace and Brentford in the last week, Saints face Spurs on Sunday afternoon and will be hoping to secure a positive result.