News summary
Bargate Homes have become the first official stand partner in the history of St Mary's. The Chapel end now carries the local builder's name alongside its own.
Chief revenue officer Greg Baker tied the deal to the ground's 25th birthday and to three seasons of Bargate money already going into community work. Bargate stay on as official new homes partner too.
Their branding goes up through the stand and around the Chapel Fan Zone. Early reaction was quite neutral, largely because the club kept the original stand name in the title.
Eight days will bring three home games. Stoke on Saturday and West Ham in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night give a club sitting on minus four about as kind a stretch as the fixture list allows.
Nicholas Oyekunle got 68 minutes of Tuesday's EFL Trophy tie with Wimbledon. At 19, a first Orient goal can wait.
Transfer news
Benfica have agreed around €20m with Parma for Australian centre-half Alessandro Circati, close to the sum they offered Southampton for Taylor Harwood-Bellis. That bid landed at the weekend and Saints rejected it without hesitation.
So Marco Silva had the budget all along. He wanted a different centre-half.
Southampton have not moved off €35m, roughly £30m. Anything near £17m would book a loss on a defender who cost £20m, so the number has not budged.
Celtic want Gavin Bazunu, and so do Dinamo Zagreb. Blackburn's Balazs Toth is Martin O'Neill's other goalkeeping option.
Bazunu has a year left on his contract, sits third behind Daniel Peretz and George Long, and played no part in pre-season.
A right-back is on the same list. Southampton have priced Yukinari Sugawara at €7m, and PSV Eindhoven can meet that more comfortably than Werder Bremen.
Werder had him on loan all last season. Sugawara was not involved at Watford, and Eckert seems willing to part with him and five others before deadline day.
Saints Marching opinion
Turning down £17m while bottom of the Championship on minus four points took some nerve. Benfica spent that money in Parma a day later.
The £30m stance was never greed. Southampton have watched Harwood-Bellis improve every season across 134 appearances for the club.
Nobody can wait him out, because his contract runs to 2028.
Although he prodded a late chance wide on Sunday, seven league goals last season from a centre-half explains the asking price, and Southampton have said so all summer.
None of this means he is happy about it. A player who asks to leave in August rarely enjoys still being there in October.
Two weeks remain. Stoke arrive on Saturday, and the best defender in the division is still available for selection.
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