Southampton FC have confirmed that Sekou Mara has left the club, two years after joining from Bordeaux, he had his critics, but we seem to have made a profit on him in that time.

There were those that will be glad to see the back of Sekou Mara, but that is to be uncharitable, he joined from Bordeaux at the end of July 2022 for 11.5 million euros and now he leaves for Strasbourg for a fee of 12.5 million euros, so a slight profit on the deal.

It should be remembered that he arrived aged just 20 years old into a squad that was soon to go into freefall, he was not the worst culprit in the squad for our demise, there were far more experienced players who under performed.

He would start just 4 games in the Premier League and another 18 off the bench, scoring 1 goal plus an assist in that awful season for the club.

Last season he was on the fringes of the first team. again he would start just 4 games in the Championship, but he would play another 24 as a substitute, some will ridicule his contribution, but 3 goals and 2 assists in his 547 minutes was a reasonable contribution and he helped close down a lot of games in the final minutes of our unbeaten run.

No one is claiming that he is a world beater, but he played a part in our promotion season and deserves to be remembered with at least some appreciation, as they say on other Southampton fan websites "Once A Saint Always A Saint"

So good luck Sekou Mara, it didn't quite work out for you here, hopefully you will go on and prosper elsewhere.

Photo: Action Images

SaintPaulVW added 10:42 - Aug 21 If ever there was a player who you could see desperately needed game time to improve it was Sekou. Clearly a talented player and just starting to bulk up for the role. I would have preferred a loan out but if that wasn't on the cards then a move is probably best for all sides. Best of luck Sekou.
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Monksway added 12:29 - Aug 21 Good luck Sekou. Strasburg is a lovely city with a beautiful cathedral and significantly better climate. I'm sure Liam Rosenior can't believe his luck, massive improvement from Hull in terms of quality of life.
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Colburn added 12:44 - Aug 21 Agree with all the above. Best of luck Sekou. Will always remember his goal against City in the cup set up by Lyanco, one of my favourite Saints goals in recent years.
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halftimeorange added 12:47 - Aug 21 I don't think Mara would have cut it in the EPL without someone laying on opportunities for him, rather than him creating them. He was, in my opinion, something of a carthorse and his recent laughable penalty attempt finally made my mind up for me. Good luck to him but, I doubt he'll be missed.
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A1079 added 12:53 - Aug 21 I am not glad to see the back of him Nick. I wish him well and hope he progresses and becomes the good player I think is in there somewhere. Whether it was game time or what, but for some reason it hasn't quite happened with him at Saints and it is right for him and us that he is moving on. But, good luck to him.
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Number_58 added 19:16 - Aug 21 I hope he does ok at Strasbourg, but I cant help but wonder if Dom Ballard and perhaps one or two others would have developed a lot quicker if the club had not bought Mara in the first place. They certainly couldn't have contributed much less.
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