Southampton had its scouts present in the stands to decide on forward target Idrissa Gueye's signing, but returned uncertain in a sparkless Gueye show.
The final preseason phase is underway in Europe, and while Southampton already concluded its friendlies, other sides pack up their preparations, too. Undoubtedly, it's an exciting period that paves the way for the upcoming season, but it's a spell rather more important, being the last opportunity for clubs to improve.
Well, it's been no different at St. Mary's either, as the Saints look forward to closing a modest summer window with an attacking addition.
Now, I know Saints fans, this optimism may sound ridiculous after having seen their recent-most wing target, Idrissa Gueye, taken over by Man United. But as the transfer weekdays have been unfolding full of suspense lately, the recent twist in Gueye's saga will catch everyone off guard.
That's because, unlike speculations, the teenager's transfer feels far from close as Southampton re-enter his race. And what's interesting? As per journalist Alan Nixon, the Saints closely followed Gueye's recent friendly performance to make a decision on his pursuit.
Gueye's modest display adds onto Southampton's dilemma further
Well, having improved on their transfer inaction, Southampton definitely deserves applause for chasing down some Top Flight clubs for Gueye. But sadly, their attempt is deemed to turn futile, once again.
That's for, though, having gone on to scout Gueye, the centre-forward looked anything but easy to decide upon. While he did show a few glimpses of what he can offer, Gueye remained contribution-less, with teammate Gauthier Hein scoring the only goal of the friendly in Metz's 1-0 win.
Still, what's interesting is that, though not a final decision, Southampton may be inclined to pass upon him for good. Having been time and again perceived as a Sulemana-type signing, with this update arriving hours later than the ex-Saint's update, everything warns the Saints of calling off this forward search.
But again, Southampton is a club that's uncertain about their most prolific goalscorer, Adam Armstrong's future, so how can one expect a perfect call from them on Gueye's signing? Let's see what they do.