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Southampton must finally sell this dud this summer as pre-season training starts

Southampton must bite the bullet and finally sell this flop this summer as pre-season training begins.
Southampton Pre-Season Testing
Southampton Pre-Season Testing | Matt Watson/GettyImages

Southampton fans would have been watching the pictures of pre-season training like hawks to see who was pictured and who was notably absent.

Worryingly, there was no sign of Shea Charles in any of the social media posts, as Leeds United try their utmost still to tempt the Northern ireland international to Elland Road this summer.

This could just be because he did feature for his nation recently, but reading between the lines, it doesn't look great for his immediate future on the South Coast.

Being present in these pictures doesn't mean your long-term home will be St. Mary's, however, as Gavin Bazunu was present, despite rumblings that he could be leaving Southampton for good.

Bazunu could be leaving permanently

Indeed, recent reports indicate that Derby County is keen on landing Bazunu, who has tumbled down the St. Mary's pecking order at an alarming pace.

Offloaded to Stoke City on loan mid-way through last season, as the Saints' experiment with Daniel Peretz went down a treat, this time around, it looks as if Bazunu will be departing the South Coast giants forever.

It's not an exit that will conjure up much emotion from Southampton fans, as Bazunu has struggled for quite some time now in the first team spotlight at the Saints.

There will be a tinge of melancholy, though, that he never quite managed to live up to the hype that followed him on his arrival to St. Mary's, as he was once labelled as a "top goalkeeper" for the future by Pep Guardiola.

Now, his career at the Saints hangs in the balance, as he's remembered more so for his error-strewn displays, than his moments of game-changing magic.

Southampton must bite the bullet and part ways

Bazunu will always have a promotion with the Saints on his CV to look back on with fondness.

But, he wasn't exactly that confident in between the sticks during that unforgettable campaign, as he only kept 11 clean sheets all season long, leading to him leaking 1.3 goals on average per league contest.

To add context, Peretz - who is a far steadier pair of gloves - would keep eight clean sheets from 22 league games last season during the regular campaign, as only 0.9 goals were given up on average.

Bazunu has also sunk to more worrying lows, past these unconvincing numbers, as he has only kept five clean sheets last season playing for both the Saints and Stoke, with the Dublin-born dud in desperate need now of reinventing himself, far away from St. Mary's.

Derby could soon gift him a new environment to start afresh, and the South Coast giants must bite the bullet and sell him now, even if they have to swallow their pride and sell him for way below the hefty £12m they once paid for his services.

Once noted as a "big" part of the Southampton project when Martin was in charge, he has unfortunately become a has-been under Eckert, with a sale surely imminent, as he swaps St. Mary's for Pride Park.

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