Southampton supporters will continue to keep their fingers crossed that Taylor Harwood-Bellis will be staying put at St. Mary's, past the early September transfer deadline.
Reports suggest that the one-time England international has asked to leave so he can pursue a move to Benfica, but the legitimacy of these claims - which have come from the Portuguese media - should be questioned.
Joe O'Brien Whitmarsh's exit cannot be questioned now, though, as the 21-year-old midfielder has officially confirmed a permanent move to Northampton Town, only a day on from the Saints' miserable 2-1 defeat to Watford on the opening weekend in the Championship.
O'Brien Whitmarsh's surprise exit
Only a couple of weeks ago, the Irishman was a part of the pre-season training camp out in Germany, and he was handed minutes in the off-season exercises, too, by Tonda Eckert.
He was nowhere to be found in the EFL Cup victory over Colchester United, or during the sobering loss to the Hornets, so he clearly views a move away as his best chance of finally being handed consistent gametime in the men's game.
Indeed, he departs Southampton as a highly rated youngster who never quite made the first team grade, with just two off the bench appearances all he can boast about when looking at this senior St Mary's career.
✍️ More details on the signing of Joe O'Brien-Whitmarsh from Southampton for an undisclosed fee. Joe has signed a three year contract at Sixfields.@TempeoRecruit#ShoeArmy 👞https://t.co/ZeMCYs4hOK
— Northampton Town (@ntfc) August 17, 2026
Northampton will hope he can be a success in his new League Two surroundings, as he will be hungry to make a name for himself at the Cobblers, after so much unfulfilled potential went to waste on the South Coast.
During a previous stint in the fourth tier with Accrington Stanley, he did manage to collect three goals from 13 appearances for the Lancashire side, with Cobblers boss, Chris Hogg, clearly excited by the addition to his ranks, stating that O'Brien Whitmarsh is a "highly technical player" after he signed.
Eckert and Co. could well end up regretting this sale down the line, as another youngster is prematurely discarded, only to bite the Saints in the future.
Southampton could live to regret this sale
With the current lack of bodies in the central midfield department on the South Coast, you would have thought O'Brien Whitmarsh might have had a background role to play, if numbers were thin.
The main shock would have been that the 21-year-old has been sold for good, instead of being loaned out, as the last time the Saints discarded a youngster in this abrupt fashion, it was Dom Ballard.
Fast forwarding to the present, Ballard has now been picked up by Bristol City, who are a fellow second tier side alongside the Saints, after he won the golden boot during his one and only season at Leyton Orient in League One.
The worry will be that lightning will strike twice and O'Brien Whitmarsh will prove he's way above the level he's entering, with Southampton possibly crossing paths with another former academy product soon, like they'll have to stomach when Ballard plays for the Robins this season against them.
Ultimately, though, the Dublin-born midfielder likely wanted this move to go through, so he could finally gain consistent men's minutes.
At 21, he's no longer a rising starlet, and regular League Two football will benefit him tremendously.
It remains to be seen if another Ballard-style regret plays out or not, with Southampton surely even more keen on adding more midfielders to their camp, with this sale now finalised.
Add us as a preferred source on Google