An exciting young talent” – reacts as Newcastle plot Southampton transfer move.
The pundit has voiced his thoughts on a current conundrum at Southampton, with transfer interest mounting
Southampton had the customary ups and downs that come with having a big portion of their playing roster seek the exit door in the immediate wake of relegation.
Some of the club’s more high-profile departures consisted of the likes of then-one-club man James Ward-Prowse, Tino Livramento, Romeo Lavia, Mohammed Salisu and even Nathan Tella towards the end of the summer transfer window, the latter of whom had actually featured for Southampton in the Championship on no less than three occasions.
| Southampton – 2023/24 Departures | ||
|---|---|---|
| Player Name | Signed For | Loan/Permanent |
| Romeo Lavia | Chelsea | Permanent (fee involved) |
| Tino Livramento | Newcastle United | Permanent (fee involved) |
| James Ward-Prowse | West Ham United | Permanent (fee involved) |
| Nathan Tella | Bayer Leverkusen | Permanent (fee involved) |
| Mohammed Salisu | Monaco | Permanent (fee involved) |
| Moussa Djenepo | Standard Leige | Permanent (fee involved) |
| Mislav Orsic | Trabzonspor | Permanent (fee involved) |
| Armel Bella-Kotchap | PSV | Loan |
| Duje Caleta-Car | Lyon | Loan |
| Mohamed Elyounoussi | FC Copenhagen | Permanent |
| Ibrahima Diallo | Al-Duhail SC | Permanent |
| Dan Nlundulu | Bolton Wanderers | Permanent |
| Romain Perraud | OGC Nice | Loan |
| Lyanco | Al-Gharafa SC | Loan |
| Mateusz Lis | Goztepe | Loan |
| Theo Walcott | Retired | – |
| Willy Caballero | Retired | – |
| Paul Onuachu | Trabzonspor | Loan |
There was little surprise attached to the fact of the matter that all of those players ended up trading second-tier football on the South Coast for renewed top-flight status, and other exits have spelled a subsequent rebuild for Southampton under Russell Martin.
On the other hand, they’ve not been shy to flex their considerable financial muscle in comparison to most of their newfound divisional compatriot, bringing in some big names for big sums.
| Southampton – 2023/24 Signings | ||
|---|---|---|
| Player Name | Signed From | Loan/Permanent |
| Shea Charles | Man City | Permanent |
| Ross Stewart | Sunderland | Permanent |
| Ryan Manning | Swansea City | Permanent |
| Joe Lumley | Middlesbrough | Permanent |
| Taylor Harwood-Bellis | Man City | Loan |
| Mason Holgate | Everton | Loan |
| Flynn Downes | West Ham United | Loan |
| Ryan Fraser | Newcastle United | Loan |
But while it’s still very much early days, Southampton may well need to add to that list of incomings in the January window if their current plight continues.
Indeed, at the time of writing, the Saints have done anything but pursue their promotion ambitions and have been on the receiving end of notable drubbings at the hands of Sunderland and Leicester City, culminating in the league’s worst defensive record and a lowly-15th-placed position as things stand.
Right now, though, forget fresh faces – they could well end up bidding farewell to yet another star.
Carlos Alcaraz is the latest Saints player to earn interest from above and is believed to be on the transfer radar of Newcastle United ahead of a potential switch following the turn of the year.
Much to the surprise of supporters, however, he’s struggled thus far under Martin and this has promoted a response from EFL pundit Carlton Palmer, who made no secret of his high regard of the Argentine midfielder and believes that certain factors could result in a departure sooner rather than later.
What has Carlton Palmer said about Southampton’s Carlos Alcaraz, who is being pursued by Newcastle United?
Speaking exclusively to FLW, Palmer explained: “Newcastle United have made an enquiry about Southampton midfielder Carlos Alcaraz in the summer transfer window and have continued to keep tabs on the player.
“(Eddie) Howe is keen to add to his squad in the January transfer window as they’re in four competitions and there’s a lot of games ahead of them.
“Alcaraz could leave Southampton in the January transfer window – certainly in the summer – if Southampton are not promoted and he’s not getting game time.
“Alcaraz scored four goals in 18 Premier League games last season after his £12m move from Racing Club, he’s certainly an exciting young talent and he’s got a lot of praise from former-managers, one being Harry Redknapp – who knows a player or two – who said ‘he’s got a really bright future ahead of him'”.
Should Carlos Alcaraz leave Southampton for Newcastle United?
It feels a no-brainer if the present state of play persists.
As Palmer alludes to, Alcaraz was one of the few sources of spark, positivity and energy in a largely beleaguered Southampton side that succumbed to relegation at the very foot of the table, so he has every right to feel aggrieved at not being a central figure this time around – in a lower division too, of course.
It’s a surprising set of circumstances, and while there are understandable tactical considerations – Alcaraz is not the composed, retention-heavy, tempo-dictating midfielder that fits Martin’s designs – he’s still more than capable of elevating his current side and lighting up the Championship at the peak of his powers.
We’re seeing in plain sight that Southampton are really struggling to get to grips with the extensively-detailed philosophy of the former-Swansea City boss and he’s received calls from fans to go back to basics, which may only add to the frustration that Alcaraz could currently be feeling.
Granted, he’s still played six times, but just three of those have been starts across the eight matches that Southampton have undertaken thus far and potentially turning out for Eddie Howe’s high-flying Magpies in the latter stages of this season’s Champions League is doubtlessly more tantalising.
