Ex-Saints star Jo Tessem has recommended an indirect gameplan to Southampton which can almost guarantee them a favourable Mateus Fernandes outcome without dragging the sale for longer.
Whenever the transfer window kicks in, every club faces the blunt reality that cashing on midfielders is like pulling a rabbit from the hat. Goals and assists determine the price point of forwards while collective clean-sheets are the benchmarks for estimating the performance ceiling of a defender.
Evidently, the Southampton camp knows the size of paychecks they can be assured from those squad positions but what about a midfield anchor like Mateus Fernandes? There, they can always end up with a panic-selling conclusion barring any mammoth nine-figure bids.
With all due acknowledgment for the 21-year-old's consistency, the latter scenario doesn't seem happening this summer. Plus, Southampton are firm that they won't let the former shrink the rewards of the hardwork they did in nurturing Fernandes' raw genius.
So, it all boils down to finding the sweet spot where no party walks away with the transfer carrying even the slightest bit of animosity. Or better put, Southampton should feel satisfied because the buying party admires the new recruit which is why they even came to the negotiation table.
Saints told creative approach could reap Lavia-like profits
Keeping these objectives in mind, former Saints star Jo Tessem has chipped in with some wise words for his boyhood club. As quoted by BBC Radio Solent, Tessem opined: "Mateus Fernandes is on people's radar because every week he plays his heart out, he is by far the best player on the football pitch from a Saints perspective. I said the same about Romeo Lavia."
Well, the Lavia mention will spark excitement among the Saints because if his talent is the yardstick for describing Fernandes, then the lucrative 2023 summer sales might be back at St. Mary's. And it's a hint for Southampton to keep raising their monetary needs until they come closer to let's say, the three-fourth mark of a £100m.
On the contrary, Southampton can go creative and try adding players from Premier League suitors to balance the books, if they are unable to pay the full amount upfront. Both ways, the Saints are destined to have the last laugh and Tessem, a deserving round of applause from the Southampton fans.