Daniel Peretz arrived at Southampton on loan in the second half of the season and quickly made St Mary's feel like home. By the time the play-offs came around, supporters had already made up their minds about him.
He was exactly what Southampton needed between the posts.
The 25-year-old Israeli goalkeeper established himself as one of the best shot-stoppers in the Championship during his time with the Saints. Despite being cavalier at times, he gave the backline a confidence it had sometimes lacked earlier in the campaign.
Southampton have a pure purchase option worth between £6 million and £6.9 million, which would have triggered automatically if the club was promoted. They should now be doing everything in their power to trigger the pure purchase option that now exists.
A goalkeeper worth fighting for
There has been some reported interest in Fleetwood Town goalkeeper Oliver Bellizia as a potential option for Southampton next season. With the greatest respect to Bellizia, that conversation should not even be happening while Peretz remains available.
The difference in quality and experience between the two players is significant. Southampton are a club aiming to recover from one of the worst weeks in their recent history and mount a serious promotion challenge next season. Starting that challenge with a goalkeeper of Peretz's calibre would send an immediate message of intent to the rest of the Championship.
He is a player who has played at the highest level, arrived in England and adapted quickly to a new league, a new club and a new culture. He did all of that in the second half of a season that ended in chaos through no fault of his own.
At £6 million to £6.9 million, he represents outstanding value for a club that knows exactly what it is getting.
A player who deserves time and space
What makes Peretz's situation particularly compelling is the way he has spoken about it publicly.
Speaking to Israeli outlet Sport 5, he described the play-off elimination as “frustrating and hard.“ He said the team had got there and it was taken away from them. He was honest about needing time to process everything before making any decisions about his future.
"I don't have a bad word to say about the club," he said. "I love everyone, I had an amazing time."
Those are not the words of a player who has checked out. They are the words of someone who genuinely cared about what Southampton were trying to build, and who has been hurt by the way it ended.
Peretz mentioned wanting to spend a few days with his partner Noa and his family before thinking things over with a clear head. After the trauma of the past week, that is completely understandable.
Southampton should give him that space. They should respect his process and let him reach his own decision in his own time.
But when he is ready, they should make absolutely sure he knows how much he is wanted at this football club.
He has earned that much at least.
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