Saints are said to be on the verge of bringing in two players on loan, with a medical for one having already taken place on Sunday according to media reports, but will they be in the positions that we need to strengthen.

The first loan deal is no surprise as according to Mail Online Flynn Downes has completed his medical on Sunday and will move to St Mary's on a season long loan with an option to buy.

He has worked under Russell Martin at Swansea City before joining West Ham, where last season he struggled get into the starting line up in the Premier League, starting just 7 games, plus 14 off the bench.

The second likely signing is Mason Holgate from Everton, Saturday's goal fest against Norwich showed one thing, we do not have an acceptable central defensive pairing already at the club and with the Mail also reporting that Armel Bella Kotchap is in talks with Borussia Dortmund for a return to Germany, a central defender is a must.

Saints lack a central defender who has both pace and experience and Holgate who turns 27 in October fits that bill, however he is not as experienced as you would hope a 27 year old would be.

He burst into the Barnsley team having just turned 18 in December 2014 and was soon attracting the attention of other clubs, Manchester United had him on trial, but it was Everton who signed him in August 2015 after just 20 League One games for the Yorkshire club.

However it would be a year before he made his Premier League debut or indeed any sort of debut, in 2016/17 he was given a start on the opening day of the season by new Everton manager Ronald Koeman, that season he would play 18 times in the Premier League, although many of these would be at right back.

In the January of 2019 he was sent out on loan to West Bromwich Albion for the second half of the season playing 19 times in the Championship.

He returned to Goodison Park for 2019/20 season and finally broke into the side on a regular basis and for three seasons he was a regular, if not completely first choice, playing 27, 28 & 25 games in the Premier League in those seasons, although in one of the seasons he spent two months out through injury.

Last season he fell out of favour and played just 8 times

He was mainly deployed in his natural position as a central defender, but in addition of his ability to play right back he was also used as a defensive midfielder.

Everton fans although not entirely speaking highly of Holgate. do not speak ill of him either, they say he is a talent who hasn't quite managed to reach the standards his talent suggests that he could reach, they say that the one thing that holds him back is that at times he tries to play too much football, his fault is he thinks he is a little better than he actually is, perhaps as he approaches 27 at a crossroads in his career, he might look at himself and recognise why he hasn't quite hit the consistency he could attain as of yet and apply himself so that he can finally become the player that he promised to be at 18.

Photo: Action Images

Bowlercow added 10:52 - Aug 14 Reports also link is with a CB from Bristol City We need both to give us adequate cover Buy those two and hope they fit Will Simeu go out on loan again or be given a chance in the B team The new youngster from Arsenal will also push for a place If Adams moves, which looks likely, Piroe from Swansea looks the best option
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saintmark1976 added 12:16 - Aug 14 If this article is correct these two loan deals appear to show more about the direction of Sports Republic than the abilities of the players concerned. It indicates to me that Sports Republic’s main priority is balancing the books with incoming transfer fees after last season’s reckless spending spree rather than obtaining proven experienced players and committing them to the club long term. In broad brush terms it portrays a “ suck it and see approach” hoping that success follows rather than being hell bend on an “at all costs” immediate return to The Premiership. I do really hope that I’m proven wrong.

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highfield49 added 13:16 - Aug 14 Keeping in mind that nothing seems to have been finalised with the loan deals, in my view they are very good additions to the squad. Experienced players of known ability rather than acquisitions from Europe who may or may not adapt to Championship demands. In my view there is little or no point in spending big for the sake of it. Why not retain a chunk of the money from player sales to stabilize finances and enable players to be brought in during the January transfer window? Should other players choose to depart in the coming weeks then certainly try to sign the likes of Piroe but let's keep in mind that not every player linked with the club may wish to move south.

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Monksway added 15:05 - Aug 14 I think these loans would be great if we can get them done. Given RM style, Holgate at right back would give the defence added strength and he has the ability to move into midfield or play as part of a three as the game dictates. If KWP stays, which seems unlikely, I'd try him as a winger in the RM system as an alternative to Tella and Edozie. Not sure if Downes is more of a 6 or an 8, either way he understands the system and comes highly recommended from Swansea supporters. We will still need another CB but this would be a good start.

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Block8 added 18:41 - Aug 14 Some people think we are still in the PL, attracting good players with top experience isn't so easy at our new level. So loans & preferably with options to buy are the best bet with experienced players and we can asses their value when required. This club whether we like it or not is & has been a club that tries to develop young players and sell them on for profit. The fact the kids know they can move on is often a reason to sign for us.

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BornAsaint added 01:26 - Aug 15 Flynn Downes looks recall’s promising, from the comments from the Wham fans they seem gutted to be losing him?!
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