Southampton set to sign defender who is loved by this other Championship manager

Strap yourself in, the rollercoaster ride of transfer deadline day has only just begun.

Deadline day is always an entertaining, action-packed day in the footballing calendar, as several clubs scramble to get last minute deals done.

In the Championship, expect lots of business to still be done, with Wrexham edging closer to landing Callum O'Hare for £7m from Sheffield United, while reports this morning claim West Ham United are about to sign Leicester centre-back Wout Faes in an interesting switch.

Southampton is nearing ever closer to announcing its first deadline day foray as well, with a young defender set to join the building on loan to buy basis.

Southampton set to make first deadline day signing

It's well known at this point that the Saints have been priortising defensive additions with Taylor Harwood-Bellis off to Aston Villa.

Already, they have landed Keven Schlotterbeck from Augsburg to bolster at the back, and the lofty German was calm and controlled on his debut against Millwall, as he kept the Lions largely at arm's length during the comfortable 5-1 win.

Alongside Schlotterbeck's arrival, reports suggest that Tonda Eckert's men are set to win the loan services of Zach Abbott from Nottingham Forest, with a medical taking place on Tuesday morning to finalise the move.

Included in the loan package is the option to purchase permanently, with the reserve Forest defender no doubt keen to impress at St. Mary's, as a lack of senior minutes have come his way at the City Ground this season.

When he has been picked in the past at Forest, however, he has stood out as an exciting option at only 20 years of age, with this rival Championship manager a big fan of Abbott's, when their paths previously crossed.

He's loved by this rival Championship boss

While Saints fans will be a little disappointed they didn't manage to push the boat out to win the likes of David Affengruber from Elche, Abbott is a signing that shouldn't be sniffed at.

Despite only being 20 years of age, he has significant first team experience at the Tricky Trees, with 13 senior appearances coming his way to date.

With a mighty 88 U21s appearances also present, he shouldn't fear the prospect of being launched into Eckert's starting XI on his arrival.

Moreover, Abbott can play as a central defender, and as a full-back if needed, with the Saints arguably in need of more depth in the full-back positions, as Mads Roerslev is injury-prone.

The two-time England U20 international has even featured for Forest in the senior ranks as a versatile defensive option in the daunting Europa League, with seven outings handed his way last season.

One of those matches saw him shut out Sturm Graz, who have just snapped up Joshua Quarshie on loan, while he also won three tackles and duels up against former Champions League winners FC Porto in a 1-1 draw.

Nuno Espirito Santo, before he was handed the poisoned chalice of the Hammers job, was a big fan of Abbott in the Forest dug-out, even selecting the young defender for an FA Cup semi-final contest against Manchester City.

Simply noting that he was "ready" for that nail-biting occasion at Wembley, Nuno will watch from afar to see how his former defender does at one of the Hammers' promotion rivals.

Further lauded for not being "frightened" by the bright lights of European football by ex-Arsenal brute Martin Keown, it will be up to Abbott, now, to ensure he isn't flustered by lining up for a Championship promotion chaser, as Southampton get the ball rolling on deadline day.

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