Sulemana likely believed he would be leaving the team in the summer, according to Martin.
HIGHLIGHTS
According to Russell Martin, Kamaldeen Sulemana most likely believed he would depart the team during the summer.
Interested parties for the player included Everton and French teams.
Sulemana was eager to leave St Mary’s and find a new job.
Speaking to Hampshire Live, Southampton manager Russell Martin believes Kamaldeen Sulemana most likely believed he would be leaving St. Mary’s during the summer transfer window.
After joining the Saints from Stade Rennais in the winter, the Ghanaian international was unable to adequately establish his value for them during the second half of the previous season.
This is extremely unfortunate for the Saints, who paid a club record £22 million to entice him away from France. They were depending on him and a select few other players to make the difference in their fight for Premier League survival.
They were relegated, which was unfortunate for them, and it appeared that there would be a fire sale at St Mary’s because Russell Martin had just taken over and needed to assemble his own team to suit his playing style.
And a sizable number of players did leave the team over the summer.
| outhampton – 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 |
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.
