Southampton's miserable luck with Hearts starters continues with James Penrice following his captain Lawrence Shankland in ignoring Saints' summer approach.
Apart from Liverpool, Southampton fans always expect other Premier League opponents to give them a cold shoulder, let alone inviting them to the transfer table. Well, fine but failing to tempt even the Premiership players into their project is a newer low they are experiencing.
And before talking about league favourites, Celtic and Rangers, Southampton must address their repetitive failures when it comes to prying away Hearts mainstays. More than four weeks were spent hoping a less likely yes to St. Mary's from Shankland's side, but the Scottish targetman gave priority to his Hearts fans over the Saints.
James Penrice decreases Saints summer window morale further
Agreed, it's natural to move on from previous candidates who chose different career steps but a second Hearts rejection is a strange coincidence. Remember the March speculations? The board explored an in-form fullback alternative James Penrice who ticked the budget friendly checkboxes from the get go.
Currently, the transfer chiefs may not have to even discuss the asking price for him but that's not an advantage. In his own words, Fabrizio Romano sounded out the terrible update for Southampton saying: "AEK Athens agree deal to sign James Penrice from Scottish side Hearts."
For over five years, Southampton have maintained an appreciable proportion of Scottish internationals in their ranks with the likes of Che Adams, Stuart Armstrong and Ryan Fraser, to name a few. However, that tally might witness a paltry increase over the years if more Scottish talents start keeping themselves at an arm's length from the Saints.
That would only deprive the current roster of more on-field quality, and their consequences Southampton fans have already seen with the unfulfilled Adams and Armstrong voids.