Tonda Eckert will happily use this Southampton star if he isn’t sold on deadline day

The summer transfer window is nearing towards its dramatic conclusion.

Southampton have been very busy, with the permanent arrivals of both Cyle Larin and Daniel Peretz certainly catching the eye early into the chaotic window.

The Saints have also added in the exciting loan signing of Divin Mubama to their ranks in recent times, with Mubama already up and running in Saints red and white, with a goal put away confidently against Stoke City.

He couldn't quite get on the scoresheet against Millwall to his own personal dismay, but the likes of Larin showed off their obvious class during that 5-1 win, instead, with the £3m forked out to land the Canadian sticking out as a crazily cheap bargain.

The South Coast giants will also be very busy right up until tomorrow's late 11pm deadline as they try to offload some deadwood at the final hour...

Who will be leaving Southampton?

The Championship promotion hopefuls have also been proactive in shifting on a lot of reserve players who weren't in and around Eckert's first team picture at all.

Indeed, Gavin Bazunu has permanently left the building for pastures new at Bolton Wanderers, while Ben Brereton Diaz has boarded the loan merry-go-round once more, as he has sealed another loan switch to Sheffield United.

Joshua Quarshie, despite Taylor Harwood-Bellis readying himself for an Aston Villa move, has been moved out on loan, too, to Sturm Graz in Austria, with the young German following in the footsteps of Jay Robinson in moving to Europe temporarily, as the 19-year-old is on the roster of AC Monza for the campaign.

When it comes to Yukinara Sugawara, another forgotten defender at St. Mary's, the hope would have been that he'd be ditched for good this summer, but it sounds as if Eckert and Co. will have to stomach another loan exit - with an option to buy - as Cagliari close in on the Japanese full-back.

Eckert does have a rather bloated squad at his disposal, with Damion Downs still on the books, despite the aforementioned Larin, and Divin Mubama, being ahead of him in the pecking order.

The German wouldn't feel too downbeat about the potential of this reserve attacker staying, though, as he has impressed in flashes under the 33-year-old when chucked into action.

Eckert will happily use this fringe player if he stays

Samuel Edozie once cost Eckert and Co. around the hefty £10m mark when the Saints were purchasing countless Manchester City youngsters.

Despite costing such a signifcant amount, he has never quite been able to become a guaranteed starter on the South Coast, with 16 starts the most league starts he's managed during a single season, since joining in 2022.

Still, despite Edozie fading in and out of several Southampton managers' first team plans, he has regularly proven himself to be a useful option off the bench, meaning there might be a slight hesitancy to sell him before the window shuts.

He has been noted as having admirers in Italy, but while the likes of Brereton Diaz have offered virtually nothing at St. Mary's, Edozie has often stuck out as an entertaining option off the bench throughout his four years at the club to date.

When Southampton won promotion under Russell Martin during the 2023/24 season, he would grab a mightily impressive nine goal contributions, from just 16 starts.

Edozie's Saints numbers under Martin/Eckert:

Martin would even go out of his way to single the daring attacker out for praise that campaign, when the likes of Adam Armstrong were lapping up all the main applause, with the Scotsman noting that the £10m winger was "so direct, so aggressive, so brave" during a 5-0 victory over Swansea City.

He showed off that same aggression for Eckert's men during the latter stages of the 3-1 Stoke win, as he won the hosts a game-clinching penalty by being so gung-ho in his approach.

Edozie seems to fit in, so if an appropriate offer doesn't come Southampton's way from the likes of Lecce, there won't be many grumbles about the pacey number 23 staying put.