News summary
Moses Sesay wants first team football this season, at Saints or on loan.
Eckert made another midfielder the priority after Watford. Jordan James is one name put forward as the fix, though the Leicester man is said to be Wolves bound for around £10m.
Cameron Bragg and Flynn Downes were both slightly off the pace in Hertfordshire. Bragg is 21 and at least teed up Cyle Larin's goal, while Downes managed one shot and no key passes.
A 21 match unbeaten league run ended with that defeat. Eckert did not dress the reason up: "Two errors in possession cost us against a very good transition team."
One of those errors was Jack Stephens hooking a clearance infield. He is a better defender than that, and he is the last man in that dressing room who needs telling.
Bottom of the table already. One defeat and a four point deduction did that, and Stoke arrive at 3pm on Saturday for a first home game the crowd will expect rather more from. Losing again could put Saints 10 points behind the teams at the top of the table.
Transfer news
Taylor Harwood-Bellis has asked to leave for Benfica.
Saints turned down €20m at the weekend, roughly £17m. They still want £30m, and the player's request does not move them nearer to it.
Northampton have paid an undisclosed fee for Joe O'Brien-Whitmarsh, who had a year left and was never going to displace anyone in Eckert's midfield. He has signed for three years at Sixfields.
Saints bought him out of Cork City. One Carabao Cup appearance was the return, and Accrington got rather more from a loan spell: three goals in 13 games.
Bild have Marseille chasing Justin Njinmah as well. Southampton, Hull and Fiorentina were already in that queue.
The Werder Bremen forward nearly moved to Hull earlier this summer, before that deal collapsed at a reported €9m.
Burnley and Stoke have entered the running for Will Smallbone, the free agent West Brom want as an Alex Mowatt replacement. He left Saints after 18 years.
Saints Marching opinion
Benfica will have to roughly double their opening bid before this becomes a conversation. Harwood-Bellis would rather be in Lisbon.
Selling is not obligatory. His deal runs to 2028, and a defender of that standard does not get replaced in a fortnight.
After the news broke, the mood among fans mostly settled on a fair price of £25m to £30m, provided the money buys a centre back and a striker.
One defeat is not a season. Russell Martin lost four straight in September 2023 and still ended up on a 25 game run.
Shea Charles has already gone to Fulham. Losing Harwood-Bellis as well would leave Eckert rebuilding a spine he has barely finished putting together, and Stoke arrive in four days.
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