Southampton missed out on star who is now set for big money Premier League move

Several Southampton players will feel like they could do a job in the Premier League if handed the chance.

Indeed, Shea Charles would back himself to be a success in the gruelling division, after a breakout 2025/26 campaign in the Championship, and he could be handed the chance to strut his stuff in the elite league if Fulham or Leeds United win him this summer.

Leo Scienza had an equally impressive campaign in the Championship, with seven goals and nine assists collected, meaning he has onlookers such as Aston Villa keen to offer him his own shot of top-flight glory.

The hope will be that both key assets stay put to drive Tonda Eckert's men forward to promotion, with the aim - after reaching the big time - to sit tight as a steady team in the daunting division.

Between 2012 and 2022, the Saints were a solid Premier League outfit who were largely assured in their status.

The Saints will want to consolidate again, if they can, down the line, but in 2022, despite being known as a top-flight regular, they were unable to convince this defensive star to uproot to England.

The star signing Southampton missed out on

The summer transfer window, leading into the relegation campaign of 2022/23, was a very poor one, all things considered.

The South Coast club chucked all caution to the wind and went big on a number of signings, with the mid-season flashy additions of Kamaldeen Sulemana and Paul Onuachu doing very little, either, to ease relegation concerns.

Several defensive additions also failed to impress with lofty price-tags, with the £8.6m pick-up of Armel Bella-Kotchap not working at all, with the current Venezia centre-back keeping just three clean sheets from 24 Premier League clashes that season.

In an alternate reality, Southampton would have been a lot stronger at the back with Maxence Lacroix joining the team, with transfer expert Fabrizio Romano reporting on deadline day that the Saints were in talks over a sensational last-gasp move for the-then Wolfsburg colossus.

Nothing came of this in the end, as the South Coast side opted to sign another failure in Duje Ćaleta-Car, instead, right at the final hour.

Safe to say, not landing Lacroix must be a regret, as he has been a rock-solid part of Crystal Palace's top-flight backline over the last two seasons, keeping a mighty 22 clean sheets along the way.

Oliver Glasner, before he left for Nottingham Forest, noted that the 6-foot-4 titan always "works so hard" with this unwavering commitment to the cause what was missing from Southampton's awful relegation season.

Popping up with five goal contributions, too, the France international now sits on the cusp of a major move to a Premier League giant, as he ponders swapping South London for West London.

The big money move Lacroix is set to win

Indeed, fresh off a bit-part role in France's 2026 World Cup campaign, Lacroix is now set to sign for Xabi Alonso's Chelsea, as another expensive rebuild occurs at Stamford Bridge.

He will cost the Blues around the £52m mark, with a medical allegedly scheduled so the ex-Wolfsburg defender can make his switch across the capital official.

Palace won his signature for only £15.5m in the summer of 2024, so it must be painful to think - on Southampton's end - how cheap they could have secured the Palace number five for in 2022, before he became a household name.

Right now, Eckert will be happy with what he's got at his disposal at the back, with Daniel Peretz a secure pair of gloves, while Taylor Harwood-Bellis is one of the Championship's most intimidating centre-backs on his day.

If all goes to plan, promotion could be won with such a firm defence on his side, as Southampton potentially face Lacroix during the 2027/28 campaign, able to see up close what they missed out on.

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