Taylor Harwood-Bellis spent most of pre-season with his leg in a boot as he recovered from injury. Speculation of a transfer to a Premier League club was ubiquitous in the press as the Stockport-born defender's hopes of getting another chance to play for his country looked as hopeless as Southampton's 2024-25 relegation season.
But like Southampton, Harwood-Bellis has turned the tables on his early-season form. Not only has he returned to the starting lineup, under Tonda Eckert, he has also assumed the captaincy in the absence of club captain Jack Stephens.
Harwood-Bellis is crucial to Saints for two reasons
Harwood-Bellis has scored some crucial goals in Southampton's 20-game unbeaten run ahead of today's Wembley showdown against Manchester City.
He has also rediscovered his passing range. Harwood-Bellis is one of the most accurate and consistent passers of the ball in the Championship. He enables Southampton to play from back to front when given the time and space to play out from the back.
Today, the 24-year-old will face the club where he spent most of his developmental years. THB joined the Manchester City academy at the age of six and played in the FA Youth Cup final in 2019.
In 2020, Harwood-Bellis signed a four-year extension to his contract before going out on loan to Blackburn Rovers, Anderlecht, Stoke City, and Burnley.
When he arrived on the South Coast, he helped Southampton to promotion and activated a £20 million obligation to buy clause in his contract.
A woeful season ended in relegation, increasing speculation that THB could leave in the summer.
Harwood-Bellis could assume captaincy duties again today at Wembley against his former side, and he is full of praise for the young manager who has inspired Southampton's upturn in form.
Eckert's record is 'just mental'
“You can’t underestimate how tough it will have been for him coming in as the interim. The record is just mental, 20 unbeaten with 16 wins, I don’t think you do that without a good manager keeping you grounded and humble.”
Harwood-Bellis has not given up hope of representing his country again, and he made it clear during pre-season that the only way to do so was to get promoted with Southampton and to be playing consistently well in the Premier League.
Saints fans will hope that, whatever happens today, they can keep their star defender at the club next season. Perhaps the only way to guarantee that is by winning the play-off final. Automatic promotion looks beyond the Saints after Millwall secured a point at Leicester City in midweek.
Add us as a preferred source on Google