Ben Brereton Diaz misses out on Premier League promotion with Sheffield United and the Blades are tipped to opt out of his buy clause now.
Upon missing sight of loanee Ben Brereton Diaz in the Championship playoffs days ago, all Southampton fans had their heartbeat pumped. And honestly, for financial reasons more than anything else.
After all, having a commendable spell at Sheffield, the Saints were hopeful of departing their £7m flop Brereton Diaz after a Championship promotion with the Blades.
Well, the Saints' prayers were answered in the Finals, just not in the way they had hoped. While BBD marked an appearance in the Championship finals at Wembley, the forward ended up losing 2-1 against Sunderland.
And just how, after witnessing two Wembley wins for former players, Southampton lost again when it mattered the most to them.
Wembley loss crashes Southampton's dream of departing Brereton Diaz
This is because as per the Daily Echo, after the playoff Finals defeat, Sheffield United are practically guaranteed to deny activating the £10m buy clause in Ben Brereton Diaz's loan deal. In case this happens, Southampton's dreams to get rid of the flop signing crash straightaway.
Honestly, the Blades cannot be blamed for this decision too, given they missed BBD's services in the knockouts when everything to play for was on the line.
But the big question is, what for Southampton now? Truth be told, this Wembley defeat might cost the Saints even more than Sheffield themselves.
That's because while St. Mary's were dreaming of a fresh start in their attacking department under Will Still, BBD's return just holds them back. Though the striker has had decent Championship numbers, Southampton must try opting against him in a visionary Premier League project given he's failed miserably in the Top Flight.
Ultimately, Southampton are back to square one considering Brereton Diaz's case. Again, the safe option remains to push for his sale or depart him on a Championship loan.
Let's see what the Saints do.