Russell Martin makes transfer admission on Southampton star

Martin believes Sulemana was probably a player who thought he was going to be on his way out in the summer.

Southampton boss Russell Martin believes Kamaldeen Sulemana is probably a player who thought he was going to be on his way out of St Mary’s during the summer transfer window, speaking to Hampshire Live.

The Ghana international wasn’t able to fully prove his worth for the Saints during the second half of last season after joining from Stade Rennais in the winter.

This is a major shame for the Saints because they spent a club-record £22m to lure him away from France and they were counting on him and a few others to make all the difference for them in their quest to secure Premier League survival.

Unfortunately for them, they finished bottom of the top flight and it looked as though there was going to be a fire sale at St Mary’s, not just because of their relegation but also because of the arrival of Russell Martin who needed to build his own squad to fit his style.

And quite a few players did depart the club during the summer.

Romeo Lavia and James Ward-Prowse are perhaps the two most notable departures – but other first-teamers level as well including Tino Livramento who’s a very promising player and should go on to achieve a lot in the game despite his cruciate ligament injury.

Nathan Tella and Mohammed Salisu also left the club permanently – and some will see the former’s departure as a real shame considering how much of an asset he could have been at this level for the south-coast team.

Others could have joined those in the list above, with the likes of Alex McCarthy, Kyle Walker-Peters, Will Smallbone, Stuart Armstrong and Che Adams all being linked with moves away from St Mary’s in recent months.

Which clubs were interested in Kamaldeen Sulemana?

Everton and French side Nice were both interested in the player with the Toffees having a verbal offer rejected for him, according to Mike McGrath.

Lille and Marseille were interested in taking him back to France – but no club matched his £30m release clause – with the Saints unwilling to sell him for less despite the player’s wish to leave.

Martin has since admitted that Sulemana is probably part of a group of players who were probably expecting to leave St Mary’s, saying: “I think Kamaldeen was one of the players who probably thought he was going to be in the Premier League or in a top league somewhere because of the amount of interest that was in him.

“But then no club ever came up with the money they needed to to release Kamaldeen from here. So with that and an injury to contend with to get fit, it brings difficulty for a young man.

“There’s probably still a few [Southampton players] who are frustrated about the transfer window and the information that they were given by certain people outside of the club and then what actually goes on and they end up staying, but if he [Sulemana] if he is frustrated, he’s been amazing.”

Should Kamaldeen Sulemana push for an exit in January?

Sulemana needs to show what he showed against Liverpool during the latter stages of the previous campaign.

But to give himself the best chance of doing that, he needs to get his head down and concentrate on his current club.

If he does that, he will eventually get his move.

If he doesn’t, interest in him could dry up and he could be stuck on the south coast for a while.

This is why he doesn’t need to try and push for a move away. If he’s good enough, he’ll get his move because the Saints showed a willingness to cash in on players during the summer window.