Southampton have a midfield hole to fill and a wad of Fulham's money to spend, and Jordan James keeps being linked as the fix.
James spent last season on loan at Leicester from Rennes, and all he did was win their Player of the Season award. Eleven goals and four assists from midfield in 34 games will do that. He'd already made 105 appearances for Birmingham City before the move to France, so this is no unproven kid. The 21-year-old is back at Rennes now, and Saints are far from alone in fancying him.
Wolves and West Ham are also in the mix, so this is no quiet stroll to a signing. He's already a Wales international with a clutch of senior caps, which tells you the step up to a promotion push shouldn't faze him one bit.
Not a like-for-like, and that could be the point
Shea Charles and Jordan James are not the same player. Charles was a holding midfielder, the man who sat and broke play up. James is cut differently.
Eleven goals from central midfield last season tells you he gets forward and hurts teams in the box, which is not what Charles offered. Swap one for the other and the whole shape of the side shifts. It's no straight swap.
That might suit Southampton. Saints Marching ran through three realistic Charles replacements worth a look. The case for James is that he brings the goals from deep the group has lacked. Finn Azaz is still working back to fitness at Staplewood after a shin problem, so a midfielder who reaches double figures would ease a scoring burden that leaned far too heavily on the front line last season.
Where he would fit alongside Downes and Jander
Flynn Downes is the anchor Eckert trusts, in the sharpest form of his career. He is not shifting. That frees a more advanced role next to him, and a runner with double figures in goals would fill it nicely.
Caspar Jander, the £10m buy from Nurnberg, had a great season in the Championship but could yet depart, while academy man Cameron Bragg offers cover. James would slot in as the one who pushes on, letting Downes or Bragg hold.
Money is the catch. Southampton banked up to £30m for Charles, yet a sell-to-buy plan can stall. Leicester had a buy option on James last season and let it lapse, so Rennes set the price now, with two Premier League clubs pushing too. Saints Marching even floated a brand new name in the same search for cover, so James is one option among several.
Still, if Southampton want goals to go with grit in the middle, few fits look more obvious. Win the race, and Southampton might just turn a painful sale into an upgrade in disguise.
Verdict: 4/5 Potentially a great signing for the Saints. James could offer goals from the engine room that were seriously lacking last season.
Likelihood: 2/5 Don't hold your breath. There is likely to be a scramble for James' signature, and mid-table Premier League sides may yet show their hand.
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