Three player deals Southampton must plot in exchange as West Ham may accelerate their Mateus Fernandes pursuit with the summer window approaching the final month.
Aside from the questionable Charlie Taylor inclusion, everything else about the Southampton squad speaks of a minimum 8 rating out of 10. Well, the fans should be satisfied until now because it could have been dull if Mateus Fernandes' already delayed preseason would've been delayed further.
Obviously, his transfer valuation is the one shielding his Southampton stay but sometimes, that can be bypassed by club to club relations. There aren't many recent examples for this but as pointed out by Saints Extra, West Ham are insistent on making Mateus Fernandes as one.
Now, taking advantage in the name of sweetening future player negotiations doesn't go one way. It's plain simple that if West Ham comes poaching for in-form Saints, then Southampton will also look to return the favour.
With that in mind, below are three Hammers who can be worth adding to Southampton's summer cart along with a tidy Mateus transfer fee on top.
Saints must keep an eye for Soucek and two prodigies
Tomas Soucek
With no Mateus around, midfielders will be needed in abundance and Tomas Soucek is one such player who will provide that sense of security in the middle. Why not James Ward-Prowse? Well, he possesses a pair of experienced legs as well but giving him a second farewell in the near future can remind all the emotional rollercoaster the St. Mary's had to suffer in 2023.
Plus, make no mistake of Soucek's scoring boots. Mostly, he sits deeper in his own half but his counter-attacking ability is remarkable. According to Transfermarkt stats, the 30-year-old racked up nine strikes in the Premier League which could easily go above fifteen in the Championship.
Luis Guilherme
I know, a right winger isn't desired to strengthen the central midfield role but Guilherme has been touted as a Saints target in the past. Plus, his recent Premier League campaign was a learning experience only but there might be some element of a wonderkid level potential in him otherwise, West Ham wouldn't have forked out an eight-figure fee just twelve months back.
George Earthy
Of the trio, Earthy mirrors Mateus to a significant extent. Further, it's ironic to guess but West Ham might be crying out for the Portuguese because they haven't backed their young starlet enough.
Very recently, the 20-year-old playmaker was sporting Bristol City's colours and started slowly, as expected. Later, Earthy finished the season on a high note and secured a promotion playoff ticket in his bag.
Consequently, it's only fitting that Earthy gives a thought to battling for promotion and Southampton wouldn't mind providing him a good platform for that.