There is something slightly uneasy about Southampton’s continued pursuit of Daniel Peretz, and it is not difficult to work out why. The more detail that emerges from Hamburg, the more it feels like Saints are chasing an opportunity rather than a solution.
Peretz wants out. That much is clear. He has been frustrated, overlooked and marginalised at HSV, unable to dislodge Daniel Heuer Fernandes despite arriving with a decent reputation.
Now, as the January window opens, Southampton appear ready to offer him an escape route. But wanting a move and being the right move are not the same.
The problem arising from Peretz's move was foreseeable
The problem is availability. Hamburg are not simply waving the Bayern Munich keeper through the door. He can only leave once a replacement is lined up, and even his absence from training has been explained away as a logistical issue rather than an imminent exit.
That alone should raise red flags. Southampton need clarity in January, not a deal that drags on while clean sheets remain difficult to come by.
Throw into the mix the unexpected resignation of HSV Sporting Director Stefan Kuntz, and Johannes Spors must have been fearing the worst.
More importantly, there is the footballing question. Peretz is, at best, an unknown quantity. Two cup appearances in Germany do not amount to evidence that he can handle the relentlessness, physicality and psychological grind of this division. Saints do not need a project in goal. They need certainty.
The better option for Southampton is Sunderland shot-stopper
That is where Anthony Patterson comes in. If Southampton are serious about improving the goalkeeper position, this is the profile they should be targeting. Patterson is proven at Championship level.
He knows the league, understands its rhythms, and has already shown he can maintain his form over a long season. There is no leap of faith required, no translation period, no guessing game.
This matters because Southampton cannot afford another half-measure between the posts. Gavin Bazunu has struggled, confidence has ebbed, and the defence has suffered as a result.
Introducing competition only works if that competition is credible. A goalkeeper arriving with question marks rather than answers risks prolonging the issue rather than fixing it.
Lack of diligence has made Sport Republic look foolish again
There is also a wider point about diligence. January business is hard enough without tying yourself to players whose situations are complicated by other clubs’ needs. Saints should be dictating terms, not waiting on Hamburg to sort themselves out.
Patterson may not come with the glamour of a Bayern Munich loanee, but glamour has never kept a clean sheet at Derby County on a Tuesday night. Reliability has. Experience has. Patterson has.
If Southampton want to be serious about tightening up and giving themselves a platform for the second half of the season, they would be far better served pursuing a goalkeeper who has already proved he can do the job.
Right now, Anthony Patterson looks like the sensible option. And Saints could do with a bit more sense in January.