Lawrence Shankland's future has been resolving at a snail's pace so far, but his intriguing actions may see Southampton fans wishing the best of luck to Russell Martin.
Southampton has virtually quit the Lawrence Shankland race since ten days and even the most transfer optimistic fans wouldn't disagree. Yet, the hopes of any last-minute efforts won't go away in the near future, simply, because the Shankland speculations have almost stagnated recently.
In fact, it's like every club wants the other competitors to win whereas in reality, nobody is moving the needle on this free transfer deal. With the way things stand, it wouldn't come as surprising if the Scot put his exit route plans to bed and remains in the Premiership itself.
Maybe, the 29-year-old joins hands with division rivals which is hardly of any concern to Southampton. Despite that, Shankland's recent actions are sure to have the Saints fans delighted for their former boss Russell Martin.
Saints want Shankland to join Martin if not them
After all, there are some fan favourite coaching figures who enjoy a cherished off-field bond with their previous fans too, and Martin can proudly brag about being one of them. And that could be a reason why the latter may be having some nostalgic feelings after being unable to land one of his trusted companions.
As pointed out by Ibrox News, Lawrence Shankland has revealed his admiration for Rangers by expressing his happiness for their new recruit Lyall Cameron.
In all honesty, players can give their opinions on other moves so, there's no stopping Saints from imagining a possible linkup between the experienced target-man and Martin. Knowing that Shankland has left Celtic waiting for a long time, siding with their direct rivals will have both the Southampton as well as the Ibrox fanbase smiling.
Ultimately, this might be fate's way of rewarding Martin by providing him with a no-brainer Saints target who is less likely to end up at Southampton.