Midway through their 2023/24 stint in the Championship, Southampton needed a right-winger. They used local links and loaned in AFC Bournemouth’s David Brooks, who had asked to leave the Cherries to play first-team football.
Brooks ended up with seven goal contributions in 17 Championship appearances under Russell Martin, and he started the play-off final win over Leeds United at Wembley. It was a smart move at the time, and it solved a problem the club actually had.
Why the Brooks comparison falls flat
The suggestion now is Brighton’s Femi Azeez, who is missing out on game time after an injury earlier in the season. Brighton paid £15m for him in September, taking him from Millwall after 11 goals and 7 assists in the Championship last season for Alex Neil’s side.
He has played zero minutes this season, and Fabian Hurzeler has only said he is “close” to a matchday squad. Southampton would be asking for a loan on a winger who is still working his way back to fitness, and that is a hard sell to a Brighton side challenging at the top of the Premier League.
The case for him rests on a squad with a gap in it. That gap is much smaller than it looks. Tom Fellows has had a poor spell and Sam Edozie has not pushed Tonda Eckert either, but a dip in form passes. Fellows has the quality to find his level again, and giving up on him in November would be an overreaction.
Then there is Jay Robinson, who is still out on loan at AC Monza. Southampton already have an attacker they own and have chosen to develop abroad. Spending a loan slot and wages on a fitness project from Brighton while he is away makes little sense.
What Southampton should do in January
Azaz, Scienza, Azeez and Larin looks impressive on paper, and the 63 combined goal contributions from last season are a fair number to point at. Most of that is already in the building, though, with Larin leading the Championship scorers and Azaz and Scienza behind him.
West Ham have Jarrod Bowen, Middlesbrough have Amario Cozier-Duberry and Wolves have Mateus Mane, so Saints are the side fighting for automatic promotion without a winger who can score and beat a man. Kuryu Matsuki is a fantastic player who can still give them that.
The sensible January move is to wait. See whether Fellows finds his level again, consider bringing Robinson back from Monza, and only then decide whether a loan is needed. Chasing a half-fit winger from Brighton first would be backwards.
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