Taylor Harwood-Bellis has been named as Southampton’s only member of this team

Taylor Harwood-Bellis didn't feature for Southampton again during their EFL Cup humilation at the hands of a much-changed West Ham United side.

He was left out of the side, too, during the Saints' 3-1 win against Stoke City last time out in Championship action, as he had been incessantly linked with a switch to Aston Villa.

Now, it appears that Unai Emery and Co. have shifted their focus to trying to sign Joel Ordonez, instead, with it now being very interesting to see if Tonda Eckert throws Harwood-Bellis back into the first team fold against Millwall on Saturday.

He desperately needs his dependable centre-back to be available, after Eckert's men lost 4-1 to the Hammers on Tuesday night, as Jack Stephens put in another ropey display, to put it lightly.

The 33-year-old boss could also have Keven Schlotterbeck at his fingertips soon defensively, with the Augsburg titan set to sign for the Saints.

Moving back to Harwood-Bellis, though, keeping him around, after so much transfer talk, would gift the South Coast giants the same energising boost a new transfer would, with the 24-year-old just selected in this exclusive team.

Harwood-Bellis selected in this exclusive team

On the same night that Southampton crashed out of the EFL Cup, the PFA Team of the Year in the Championship was unveiled.

Hayden Hackney, who got Eckert and Co. in so much hot water with Spygate, was announced as the division's overall player of the year, with the former Middlesbrough midfielder now on the books of Everton.

Harwood-Bellis was also recognised for his stellar individual season during the esteemed awards ceremony, as he made up a defence that was dominated by Coventry City players, unsurprisingly, as Carl Rushworth, Milan Van Ewijk, and Bobby Thomas represented the runaway champions, alongside the Stockport-born colossus.

The number six was the only player from Southampton to get the nod, despite Leo Scienza collecting seven goals and ten assists during his debut season on English shores. Finn Azaz was equally creative all campaign long, but was also snubbed.

He deserved this personal shout-out, too, as he kept 12 clean sheets, and scored seven goals, as a mainstay in Eckert's backline.

Eckert would even go as far to declare that he was the "best centre-back in the Championship" when looking over the entire league, when talking about Harwood-Bellis' importance to his team in pre-season.

The German will be desperate to keep batting away all this transfer interest, as Harwood-Bellis remaining put will be vital if they want to be promotion challengers.

Eckert will be desperate for him to stay

After all, the former Manchester City youngster, turned Saints regular, has been here before in delivering a promotion, with Harwood-Bellis in the heart of Russell Martin's defence all season long during the triumphant 2023/24 season.

He should be professional enough, as well, to shrug off his failed move to Villa Park and pick up from where he left off, with the Saints manager insisting that Harwood-Bellis is still focused on matters on the South Coast, and is training, despite being absent, again, versus the Hammers.

Of course, with how fast-paced the frantic window can be, one minute you're on the books of Southampton, and the next, you're jetting off to a new club. Just ask Shea Charles, who had a move away from the club stall and stall, before Fulham finally swooped in.

Therefore, if a higher up team were to cough up the money the South Coast club want for Harwood-Bellis, which is apparently around the £30m mark, a last-minute switch might still occur.

Eckert, in an ideal reality, will be able to call upon Harwood-Bellis, and the incoming Schlotterbeck for matches to come, as one final win is also hopefully on the menu for August, when Millwall travel to St. Mary's.

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