The rogue Southampton target who could sign even if Taylor Harwood-Bellis stays

Taylor Harwood-Bellis was noticeably absent from Southampton's defence as the Saints beat Stoke City 3-1 on Saturday.

Indeed, the ex-Manchester City defender wasn't even named on the bench for the Championship clash with the Potters, amid rumours he could be jumping ship to Aston Villa, before the summer transfer window closes.

Tonda Eckert's men did cope well without their talismanic defender being present, as both Jack Stephens and Nathan Wood fought bravely throughout the match to silence their St. Mary's critics.

Eckert would touch upon Harwood-Bellis' obvious omission post-match, with it not being a foregone conclusion that the one-time Burnley loanee will leave the South Coast behind before the September deadline.

Eckert's comments on Harwood-Bellis post-Stoke

When it was confirmed that the German has omitted the one-time England international from his starting XI, the large majority of Saints fans must have been left with an uneasy feeling.

Shea Charles was dropped for the Colchester United clash in the EFL Cup mere days before he was sold to Fulham, so the worry will be that a repeat is in the offing, as Harwood-Bellis completes a move to Aston Villa very shortly.

It's not as cut and dry as that, however, with Eckert revealing after the 3-1 victory that it was "my decision" solely that led to the dependable number six being dropped.

Stating that he doesn't know if the Villa-linked defender will leave or not, it definitely doesn't seem inevitable, right now, that the Stockport-born colossus does leave for a new Premier League challenge.

Additionally, Villa, as per new transfer reports on Sunday morning from the Athletic, have also begun to look at Club Brugge centre-back, Joel Ordonez, as a different defensive target, away from putting all their eggs into the Harwood-Bellis basket.

With Unai Emery's men further noted as being some way away from what Southampton want for Harwood-Bellis in terms of valuation, the likelihood that he stays put seemingly grows stronger by the minute.

Even if he were to stay, that shouldn't stop Eckert's side from adding in another centre-back, with a rogue target recently named...

The rogue target Southampton could sign even if he stays

While both Stephens and Wood did perform admirably with no Harwood-Bellis around, the Watford game showcased that the 32-year-old always has an error up his sleeve.

Therefore, adding in another centre-back to the ranks could be a smart next signing, even if Harwood-Bellis stays put, as a new partner to slot in alongside the 6-foot-2 star is born.

As per Transfer Feed, the South Coast giants are allegedly keen on signing Oh Leuven titan Roggerio Nyakossi, with the Saints also linked with a move for the Swiss defender back in January, when Chelsea and Liverpool were reportedly sniffing about for the 22-year-old.

Nyakossi is very much built in the same way as Harwood-Bellis, as while he's imposing with his 6-foot-4 frame, the Geneva-born centre-back is a very composed performer on the ball, as evidenced in Nyakossi averaging an unerring 90% pass accuracy last season in Jupiler Pro League action.

Scoring four league goals, too, to rival his counterpart's prowess in front of goal, it does feel as if Southampton were looking at Nyakossi, originally, as a viable successor to Harwood-Bellis.

But, a move for the Leuven battler - who has further been labelled as possessing a "natural authority" by his ex-Switzerland U21 manager Sascha Stauch - shouldn't be ruled out completely if the long-term Saints stalwart were to dramatically stay, as Nyakossi and Harwood-Bellis would form a formidable duo in the heart of the St. Mary's defence.

It will be interesting to see if the much-talked-about 24-year-old has any part to play during Southampton's EFL Cup tie with West Ham United this coming mid-week, as the Saints prepare for every possibility with their in-demand number six.

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