Southampton fans will be waiting to see where Danny Ings ends up in the summer transfer window after stalling on a new lucrative contract with the club.
The striker has been a revelation since joining the Saints from Liverpool back in 2018 and has 42 goals in 92 games on the South Coast despite not being able to hit his highest levels this season.
Right now though, it can be argued that losing a different player in the off-season would be even more of a blow.
That man is academy graduate and current club captain James Ward-Prowse.
You only have to look at the 26-year-old’s performance at Sheffield United on Saturday to see what he brings the team.
Although he may not be the most vocal captain and never shouts or screams at his teammates, he led by example at Bramall Lane – very much a Steven Davis type of leader, Saints fans might say.
Ward-Prowse and his team got back on track with a 2-0 win and he was involved in almost everything. He dropped deep to collect the ball from the defenders to help build attacks against a press – clearly something Saints have worked on in recent weeks – and was an active presence in most things his side did well.
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Over the course of the 90 minutes, he had the joint-most touches of any player on the pitch and made the most passes of any Saints player on the day too (via whoscored.com). Perhaps most crucially, it was his calmness from the penalty spot that gave his teammates something to hang on to.
You could say he controlled a performance in a game that was so important for Saints to win.
He really is a vital player and is the perfect central-midfielder that Ralph Hasenhuttl needs in his team. Add in his set-piece prowess, and he contributes all over the pitch.
Across all competitions in 2020/21, he has contributed directly to 12 of Saints’ goals with seven strikes of his own and five assists. So far, he has played every minute of football in this season too.
To have someone able to show such consistent energy and application in matches has been so valuable with so many other players going down with injuries around him.
His improvement since Hasenhuttl’s arrival at Saints has seen him edge into the fringes of the England squad and his form will surely be attracting some admiring looks from other clubs.
It is a positive that Ward-Prowse committed to a new long-term contract at the beginning of this season, but Saints must still do everything they can to build around him if Ings does depart given that he is the most consistent when it comes to putting Hasenhuttl’s philosophy into practise.
Compared to where he was five or six years ago, he has transformed himself. Having struggled to find the position that was right for him back then, he is now able to contribute to everything Saints do from his central position in the current line-up.
It would be foolish for any top club not to show some interest in him but Saints will know they have someone who can be a central part of future success under their manager in the next couple of years.