Southampton target and current Sunderland centre-forward Ross Stewart ‘would absolutely thrive’ at the seaside outfit, transfer insider Dean Jones has told GIVEMESPORT.

As they look to regain their Premier League status at the first time of asking, Russell Martin could look to sign Stewart to aid this objective.

Southampton news – Ross Stewart

Stewart has just 12 months remaining on his Sunderland contract and so, his future at the club remains up in the air.

Southampton have shown an interest in the 27-year-old gem, but are likely to face competition from others considering how well he performs in front of goal.

According to The Sun, the Saints will make a move for the two-cap Scotsman should one of their current options up top move away.

Back in December, Pete O’Rourke, writing for Football Insider, claimed that Ranger’s interest would have to be backed up with a £10m proposal to prise him away from the Stadium of Light.

With Nathan Tella having returned from his one-season Burnley stint, Stewart could form a frightening partnership with the ex-Arsenal prospect, one in which Martin and co. will be well aware of.

What did Dean Jones say about Southampton and Ross Stewart?

On the Irvine-born striker, Jones said that Stewart’s prospective transfer to Southampton would be a ‘really good level’ for all parties and that he would be likely to thrive.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, he said: “Yeah, I do think that’s a really good level for Southampton. He’s the sort of player that would absolutely thrive at St Mary’s.

“You’ve seen them take players like that before and the players step up. It’s a great environment to improve yourself upon. And what’s even better is the motivation that comes with it.”

How good is Ross Stewart?

Stewart had an injury-ridden 2022/23 campaign but his expertise in front of goal shone through in his limited minutes.

He played just 15 games but did manage to net 11 goals and provide a further three assists, according to Transfermarkt, which just highlights what tools he would bring with him along to Southampton should a deal come to fruition.

The year before, he enjoyed a 24-goal domestic campaign and scored a crucial goal in their League One play-off final against Wycombe.

Goal returns aside, Fbref data shows he won 1.12 tackles, 1.04 blocks and 3.97 aerial duels per 90, while he was in the top 1% of strikers in the eight leagues below Europe’s top five for clearances per 90 (2.07).

What next for Southampton?

The newly relegated club have kicked off their summer window by signing Northern Ireland midfielder Shae Charles and former Swansea City full-back Ryan Manning.

However, offloading a litany of players is also needed as their bloated squad means they have the joint-most players in the Championship, per Transfermarkt.

Lyanco, who is out of favour at the club, is poised to move away with a source telling GIVEMESPORT the Brazilian defender has already internally bid farewell to his teammates.

The likes of James Ward-Prowse and Romeo Lavia will, however, be players that boss Martin will undoubtedly want to keep on the books.

While the task of retaining this duo will be onerous to say the least, it is something that would significantly boost their chances of an immediate return to the top flight.