Southampton want a midfielder to fill the Shea Charles gap, and their first pick has a queue. Jordan James of Rennes is the one they fancy, but four clubs are chasing him.
So there's a backup up Saints' sleeve. Everton's Harrison Armstrong is the name the Saints could turn to if the James chase slips away.
Armstrong is 19, a central midfielder, and Everton are weighing up whether to loan him out again. Southampton are reportedly ready to ask the question.
Why a loan makes sense
Money is the pull here. Southampton banked up to £30m for Charles, but a chunk of a sell-to-buy summer can still vanish fast, and a loan for a teenager costs a fraction of a permanent fee.
Armstrong is no stranger to the second tier either. He spent last season on loan at Preston North End, with a Derby County stint before that, so he's already had a taste of Championship football at an age when many are still in the under-21s. Born in January 2007, he only turned 19 this year, so time is firmly on his side.
Armstrong wouldn't be short of suitors. Derby, Middlesbrough and Blackburn have all fancied a loan too, which tells you Everton rate the lad and clubs trust him with proper minutes.
Saints Marching has run the rule over three realistic Charles replacements. The case for a young loan is that it keeps powder dry for a marquee arrival elsewhere.
Where he'd slot in
Let's be clear about the pecking order. Flynn Downes is the anchor Eckert trusts, in the sharpest form of his career, and Caspar Jander, the £10m buy from Nürnberg, is not just settling into the Championship but attracting attention from the Bundesliga too.
Armstrong would land as development and depth rather than a guaranteed starter, and there's nothing wrong with that. Academy graduate Cameron Bragg is already pushing for minutes, so a fourth young body in midfield keeps the competition honest.
There's a nice logic to it, too. Southampton have a five-star category one academy of their own, and backing promising kids has served them well, so adding a hungry teenager on loan fits the way the club likes to work.
Saints Marching even floated a brand new name in the same hunt, which tells you the club is casting a wide net rather than banking on one man.
So James stays the priority. Should he go elsewhere, though, Armstrong is a low-cost, low-risk midfielder who ticks the youth box and the value box at once.
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