Southampton could make a move for this defender who nearly joined a Premier League club

For the time being, as we edge closer to the transfer window slamming shut at the very start of September, Taylor Harwood-Bellis looks as if he is staying put at Southampton.

At the time of writing, it appears Aston Villa have moved onto Joel Ordonez, who plies his trade for Club Brugge, with Unai Emery's men and Tonda Eckert's side some way apart in their valuation of the ex-Manchester City youngster.

The South Coast giants held out for £30m for Shea Charles, so it did seem rather unlikely that they'd part ways with their one-time England international centre-back for a measly £24m.

Of course, the unpredictable nature of the window means you can't completely rule out a deal being resurrected at the death, with Charles' move stalling for what felt like forever, before Fulham coughed up the necessary cash.

Even if Harwood-Bellis were to stay, it could be argued that a fresh defender is needed, with Southampton linked with a couple of names in recent days.

Who could the Saints sign at the back?

Indeed, while Jack Stephens and Nathan Wood came away from their runout versus Stoke City relatively unscathed, minus Ethan Galbraith's strike for the visitors, neither player really stands out as a brilliant partner to Harwood-Bellis.

At 32 years of age, Stephens isn't getting any younger, and Wood has been largely unconvincing ever since he followed in Russell Martin's footsteps from Swansea City to the South Coast in 2024, away from competently going about his business against Mark Robins' men.

Clearly, the powers that be at St. Mary's agree that a new defensive signing is needed, as well, as Eckert and Co. have been linked with swoops for OH Leuven colossus Roggerio Nyakossi, and Bryan Medina, from lower league Portuguese outfit CD Tondela.

These two suggestions are certainly out-of-the-box shouts, but the Saints - of course - have fully reaped the rewards of a Portuguese shopping trip before, when landing club icon Jose Fonte in 2010, who previously played for Benfica.

As a short-term measure to strengthen defensively, a loan deal should not be disregarded, which is where this promising youngster might come in handy.

The loan signing who could arrive before the deadline

Over the past couple of years, Southampton and Manchester City have built up an amicable working relationship, with the Saints buying the likes of Romeo Lavia, Charles, and Harwood-Bellis from their Etihad friends.

The next player that could come to mind when uttering the name of both Eckert and Co and the ten-time Premier League champions is Stephen Mfuni, as the 18-year-old is clearly available to leave Enzo Maresca's side on loan.

His expected loan move to Frank Lampard's Coventry City, who have just been promoted to the top-flight, has now been called off, which opens back up the potential that he could move to a second tier side, having stood out in flashes last campaign for Watford.

He might well be returning to the Hornets, who have selection issues at the back, but do not rule out the possibility that Southampton swoop in to land him as another centre-back body, as he suits Eckert's men well.

Last season at Vicarage Road in the Championship, the teenager didn't look like he had been shoved into the deep-end whatsoever, with a mightily impressive 6.5 duels won on average from eight league outings.

Averaging an 81% pass accuracy average, as well, it was actually up against the Saints when he made his Watford debut, as he won four tackles and duels. Watford would only lost 1-0 on that occasion, as the likes of Ross Stewart were kept under wraps by the promising starlet.

He didn't let anyone down last season when chucked into the first team in Hertfordshire, so the expectation would be that the 18-year-old would join Eckert's camp and be another option the youth-focused German could rely upon.

After all, in 2024, Mfuni was included in the Guardian's illustrious Next Generation 20 list, which compiled an overview of the top 20 most exciting youngsters in the Premier League per club.

Shining brightly at Watford indicates he has what it takes to succeed in the Championship, too, away from being merely hyped up, as the South Coast club potentially now try and snap up his loan signature, before another EFL team does.

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