Southampton’s preseason opener could bring their worst nightmare with Kyle Walker-Peters lining up against them.
It's been a long week for Southampton fans since they heard Fabrizio Romano's ultimate verdict on Kyle Walker-Peters' future. Needless to say, the despair among supporters remains as initial, if not increased further.
While on one hand, St. Mary's stress on their depleting right-back reinforcement choices, the thought of seeing veteran Saint KWP in any other club develops fears ahead.
But for the Southampton fans who are still not over the 28-year-old's departure, fate seems tipped to convince them of this reality the harder way.
Walker-Peters tipped to return as Saints opponent in Will Still's debut
So, now, it's very much possible that Kyle Walker-Peters faces Southampton in new boss Will Still's first game in charge.
That's because, Brighton, who is scheduled to be the Saints' preseason kick-off opponent, is largely interested in signing KWP for free.
As per Sky Sports(via the Daily Echo), the Seagulls are overly into a potential deal for the 28-year-old full-back. In fact, having narrowly missed on European qualifications, a young Brighton side sees Walker-Peters as extremely valuable for their future advancements.
Honestly, should this rumour turn true, Southampton and the fans would be in for a surprise.
After all, barring exceptions, hardly anyone would have foreseen Walker-Peters returning to St. Mary's this soon again. But this time as an opponent to mark Will Still's new Southampton era.
Truth be told, this realization may de-excite Southampton fans who are eagerly waiting to see Still on the sidelines. No matter what the scoreline reads in this Brighton-Southampton clash, St. Mary's will be the definite loser in the clash to see fan-favourite in different colours.
Still, there's some hope for Saints fans here. Amidst the extensive interest in Walker-Peters, Brighton is tipped to undergo extensive negotiations and meetings to win his transfer race.
Maybe, just maybe, even if KWP joins the club, he remains unavailable to feature due to the time clock's restraint. Still, that's quite high optimism again.
Let's see what's in store for Walker-Peters and Southampton.