Southampton fans must be prepared for Will Smallbone's August departure, if it comes. Indeed, that will be a talent compromised but one, that could go to some rivals on top of that.
Academy players always have a tougher road to success at any club while battling for places with bonafide superstar signings. Briefly, it's the difference between first-timers and newcomers, because the sport remains the same and so elite players always start by being a cut above the wonderkids.
The compensations, it's free or negligible for in-house talents and profits know no limits. With the latter ones, even recording a handful of millions in the green is like pulling a rabbit out of the hat.
Southampton have also prioritised upon profits to close the window, which their new Tyler Dibling U-turn portrays.
The 19-year-old's older academy mate Will Smallbone is also such pure gains fetching player on paper and his Saints usefulness rests on Joe Aribo's transfer outlook.
As for some insights, Football League World believe the 25-year-old is an £8m asset.
Smallbone's best summer opportunity can come at Leicester City
So, who can claim advantage on Smallbone's potential? Teams that can afford to outlay similar transfer fees as Southampton are capable of and one of them can be jointly-placed rivals Leicester City.
They parted company with deep-sitting midfielder Wilfred Ndidi in the early days of August, and secured an €8m paycheck as per Transfermarkt. Therefore, it doesn't require much intelligence to admit the Foxes have holes to address in their midfield department.
A player on the verge of being called an outcast, a selling team welcome to exits, and a close rival aiming to catch hold of like-for-like alternatives, this is a proper effortless transfer idea. But none of these parties are in compulsion to agree to the rest, so there is the same amount of clarity as clouds in this transfer space.