Southampton’s ideal January transfer window roundtable – by Alastair Case

Q3: Which player/s can you see leaving Saints this month? This may be a player who is not having enough impact and could need a change, or a youngster who needs game time to develop.

A: Obafemi would be the obvious answer for me but I understand he is recuperating from surgery so that would suggest that any move is unlikely. He is a divisive and frustrating player – there evidently is some ability to get into good positions and score important goals but he has not kicked on in the way many fans hoped. There have been murmurings on the red and white grapevine that Hasenhuttl does not consider his work rate worthy of a place in the squad, let alone a starting berth. A few goals at Championship would have done him some good.

Loan moves are often limited in their value as it means a player inevitably adapts to a different style of play to the parent club, undoing much of the good work done by a club in installing a style of play or system. There might be some value in sending a player out like Smallbone on loan, not so much to learn a new style but possibly to have more exposure to the physicality of the Championship.