Southampton could be in need of a new striker this summer.
If the Saints had won promotion to the Premier League and weren't stopped in their tracks due to Spygate unravelling, they would have been able to snap up Cyle Larin permanently.
This would've been a phenomenal move to seal, with Larin bagging an electric eight goals in the Championship last season from only 16 matches. Unfortunately, this permanent move is no longer in the works, with the South Coast club resigned to another campaign in the Championship.
Jetting off to the World Cup with Canada, Saints fans will cheer on the 31-year-old, thinking what could have been.
Ross Stewart's contract is also set to expire, but the Scotsman - who will be at the World Cup himself - has discussed his desire to stay put at St. Mary's beyond June.
Even if Stewart were to stay, the Saints would be light on striker numbers, with it not the craziest idea for the failed playoff hopefuls to go back in for former attacker Dom Ballard.
Ballard's journey at Southampton
Before delving into why Ballard is an in-demand talent this summer, the 21-year-old's time at St. Mary's was mainly restricted to youth football.
Indeed, the homegrown striker would only ever feature four times in the senior fold, but he did manage to bag a solitary goal in the EFL Cup for Southampton all the way back in 2022 against Cambridge United.
Funnily enough, he would end up on the books of the U's in 2025 out on loan from his boyhood club.
Before leaving for good, though, Ballard would garner quite the reputation in the U18s and U21s for being a goal machine, powering home a stunning 60 strikes from 73 appearances in both age brackets.
He would've been itching to show off this goalscoring prowess in the senior game, and he would be offloaded to Leyton Orient last summer.
Safe to say, Southampton must wish they kept a firmer grip on one of their own, with his sublime goalscoring form at Brisbane Road just the sort of striker they could do with now, with Larin retreating back to Mallorca.
Could the Saints be tempted to plot a move for a spectacular reunion?
Southampton must be tempted to re-sign Ballard
Despite only scoring six goals in League One previously with the likes of Reading, Blackpool, and Cambridge, Ballard instantly clicked into being a deadly marksman with the O's in the challenging division.
Ballard would bag a clinical six goals by the middle of October for Richie Wellens' side, and by the end of the campaign, he would be crowned the Golden Boot winner for the entire league, with a sublime 23 strikes next to his name.
League One top five goalscorers 25/26:
Player | Club | Games | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
1. Dom Ballard | Leyton Orient | 40 | 23 |
2. Kyle Wootton | Stockport County | 49 | 20 |
3. Jayden Wareham | Exeter City | 46 | 19 |
4. Lorent Tolaj | Plymouth Argyle | 33 | 18 |
5. Harry Leonard | Peterborough United | 37 | 16 |
While the Guildford-born sensation will love all the fanfare he has received in East London, he would jump at the opportunity to move back to the Championship and be this unerring in front of goal with a second tier employer.
He might be gifted that opportunity, as it is alleged that Wrexham is keen on a deal for the former Saints youth product.
Surely, Southampton will be tempted to thrown their hat into the ring for any bidding war that follows, as the O's number 32 becomes a very hot commodity this summer transfer window.
Add us as a preferred source on Google