Eduard Spertsyan turned down a Southampton swoop last week and now, another unexpected midfield target has distanced himself from St. Mary's.
The transfer markets give minimal time for dialogue and debates about done and dusted transfer links when the eventual verdict was unfavourable to a deal. But sometimes, circumstances can force the "another speculation ended like this" narrative among the fans.
At Southampton, it's back-to-back midfield blows with Eduard Spertsyan being the first to shut down rumours that suddenly caused a stir for the Saints. Why, because Spertsyan is starring in a league which is often overlooked during the European signings window, and now there's a like-for-like player number two as well.
It's 22-year-old in-demand talent Mamadou Coulibaly, and in journalist Sacha Tavolieri's own words: "Defensive midfielder rejects interest from Los Angeles FC & Southampton FC to become one of best paid young player in the UAE Pro League."
Coulibaly avoiding MLS approach will surprise Saints more
Now, factor in Spertsyan's blunt second-tier football excuse and Southampton fans can understand Coulibaly's likely reservations too, but dismissing the Major League Soccer is worth raising eyebrows. And though former club captain Maya Yoshida features for Los Angeles FC's city rivals, Gareth Bale is a well-known personality there.
After all, the Southampton youth star landed foot in the United States as a defending Champions League winner and emerged out in the same victorious manner as a Cup champion.
So, putting his skills to the test in front of the Major League Soccer crowd could have been instrumental to Coulibaly's future Premier League plans, if any.
Anyways, it's Southampton's loss more than anybody's but one praiseworthy pick can still erase away all these midfield sorrows. Can the right-backs be sorted in the meanwhile? Well, only time will tell how efficiently Southampton utilizes this signing-less timeframe.