Southampton are still keeping tabs on Sunderland winger Patrick Roberts, according to Darren Witcoop.
In order to find the players Russell Martin’s Saints club will need to lead them back to the Premier League at the first opportunity, the recruiting team will already be making plans for the January transfer window.
Although they have had a mixed start to the season, they will be quite encouraged by their victory over Leeds United on Saturday and will be hopeful that it marks the end of their losing streak.
Despite both teams experiencing losses during the 2023–24 season, the Saints and the Black Cats are likely to be promotion rivals this season—but the latter have been willing to work with the former.
On the day before the transfer deadline, Ross Stewart officially moved from the Stadium of Light to St. Mary’s, but the Saints explored other moves as well.
Southampton’s summer pursuit of Patrick Roberts
Southampton reportedly made a £5 million offer for Roberts on deadline day, according to a report from Sky Sports.
He had done enough to impress the Saints with his five goals and seven assists in the league last season, but ultimately the south-coast club was unable to complete a deal for him.
They had the money to complete a deal after offloading a number of quality players during the summer, so they will likely be frustrated by this.
Even without considering additional sales, James Ward-Prowse, Tino Livramento, and Romeo Lavia by alone would have brought in over £100 million for Martin’s side.
What’s the latest on Southampton’s pursuit of Patrick Roberts?
Witcoop believes the Saints are still closely monitoring Roberts at this time, which isn’t surprising given that the former Manchester City star hasn’t signed a contract extension at the Stadium of Light.
The Wearside winger’s contract is set to expire next summer, therefore the Black Cats may be willing to sell him to avoid losing him for nothing at the end of the current campaign.
It is still possible that Roberts will stay at Wearside longer than originally planned.
The Saints may view Roberts as a viable target while he still has more than a year left on his contract.
Should Southampton make a January move for Patrick Roberts?
Roberts is a tremendous asset to have at this level, therefore the Saints should definitely be thinking about a transfer if he hasn’t agreed to a new contract by the beginning of January.
Martin’s team must first decide whether he would be a competent player in the top division because if not, he might not be a good addition.
If Southampton signs a bunch of players who won’t be effective in the top division and gets promoted, there’s a good risk they’ll drop back down again. Southampton needs to be recruiting with the long term in mind.
Roberts is a fantastic talent and at 26 still has time to develop, making him a player worth adding.
They can afford to spend a fair amount on him because they make so much money from player sales in the summer, but they shouldn’t be taken advantage of.
