Taylor Harwood-Bellis very much let his emotions get the better of him against Middlesbrough, during the playoff semi-final second leg at St. Mary's.
He would visibly goad the Boro players with an imaginary pair of binoculars after Shea Charles curled home a sensational strike to win the Championship playoff tie, to set up a Wembley final for Tonda Eckert's men.
This is, of course, a playoff final that never actualy ended up taking place, due to Southampton's well documented spying, making the Saints captain's spontaneous celebrations the butt of many a joke, subsequently.
Harwood-Bellis could be on the move, still, this summer, as he mounts his own personal switch up to the Premier League.
Harwood-Bellis will be eyeing a Premier League move
While he has become a bit of a laughing stock on social media for those aforementioned celebrations, the one-time Manchester City academy product is very deserving of a move back to the Premier League, if one comes to fruition this off-season.
He was arguably the most commanding centre-back performer in the entire division last season, coming in with an imperious 5.7 duels won per league contest. He also scored two goals when putting his aerial prowess to good use.
With 34 Premier League appearances also already under his belt, it wouldn't be an almighty gamble from the likes of Everton to try and snap up the Stockport-born titan, as he would surely be desperate to stay put in the top-flight, to avoid any more playoff struggles.
The Toffees will want to test the waters, too, to see if they can win the defender on a cut-price deal to exploit the Spygate situation, with West Ham United also noted as being keen on the 24-year-old's services.
It will be a losing battle attempting to keep the one-time England international around, but there could be an in-house replacement for Harwood-Bellis already present at St. Mary's in this promising defensive talent.
This fringe Southampton star could shine
Southampton delving into the German market last summer produced very hit-and-miss results.
Indeed, for all the Leo Scienzas of the world who instantly set the Championship alight, there were also the major misfires, such as Damion Downs.
The jury is still very much out on Joshua Quarshie, with the 6-foot-5 youngster joining last summer from Hoffenheim, to start here and there this campaign just gone under Eckert.
The loss of Harwood-Bellis could push the 21-year-old more into the first-team spotlight, and he did look largely calm and assured when thrown into the deep-end of the Championship.
Quarshie's standout Championship numbers:
Stat - per 90 mins* | Quarshie |
|---|---|
Games played | 13 |
Goals scored | 0 |
Assists | 0 |
Accurate passes* | 46.2 (89%) |
Clearances* | 3.3 |
Total duels won* | 3.7 (57%) |
Clean sheets | 1 |
He did only manage to keep one clean sheet from his 13 second-tier outings, but his ability to spray the ball about with ease did stick out from his minimal first-team minutes, finishing the season with a classy 89% pass accuracy average. His former Burnley counterpart could only muster up an 86% pass accuracy average, in contrast.
Winning 3.3 duels on average, too, it's clear that there is a commanding defender waiting to be unearthed in the Duisburg-born battler.
Next season could see Quarshie blossom into an accomplished first-team presence at St. Mary's, instead of settling for being a starlet stuck on the fringes, particularly if Harwood-Bellis' expected exit takes place.
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