News summary
New women's home shirt. Southampton unveiled the 2026/27 design on Tuesday, to a warm reception.
Together We Rise. 😇
— Southampton FC Women (@SaintsFCWomen) August 11, 2026
Our bespoke 2026/27 @pumafootball home kit is on sale NOW ⤵️
Members got an early window on tickets. Four more home fixtures went on sale to them before the general release.
Saints open away at Watford on Sunday, a lunchtime kick-off that Sky have picked for live television. The Championship is back.
Then comes the cup, with West Ham due at St Mary's in the Carabao Cup second round. That tie lands eight days later, in the week beginning the 24th August.
West Ham dropped out of the top flight last season, so they come as promotion rivals now, not a Premier League name.
Transfer news
The biggest piece of business is done. Shea Charles has completed his permanent move to Fulham.
He put pen to a five-year deal once the clubs agreed a fee that could rise to around £30m.
That makes him the most expensive Northern Irish footballer on record. Every penny funds the rebuild.
Saints strengthened up top, too. Divin Mubama has joined on a season-long loan from Manchester City.
The move brings him back to the second tier for another crack at it. He scored five in 28 Championship games on loan at Stoke last term, a spell an ankle problem cut into.
City clearly rate the youngster. A glowing verdict on his progress has only added to the excitement.
Mubama gives Eckert another option through the middle, where Damion Downs will be pushing for minutes after a first year that deserves more patience than it has had.
Others may follow him out. With the Charles money banked, the club has been linked with reshaping several areas of the squad.
Saints Marching opinion
Charles leaves as the headline departure of the window. The size of the fee says plenty about how far his stock has climbed.
Losing a midfielder this young is never comfortable. A sale of this kind, banked in full, hands Eckert the funds to build the promotion push properly.
Take Mubama. He is quick, direct and keen to prove himself here.
A loan carries far less risk than a big fee on an unproven striker. It also cranks up the competition up front, where Downs and Cameron Archer are both chasing a starting role.
The manager has options now. If he clicks alongside Downs, the forward line looks sharper in the exact spots that let Saints down late last season.
Four days out from Watford, the squad is taking shape rather than falling apart. That should settle a few nerves after the summer just gone.
THB to Benfica rumour... What!?
Add us as a preferred source on Google