With the transfer window just over a month away, the speculation is mounting on what will be happening at St Mary's in January. The word on the street is that several players will depart to allow new signings to arrive.

Several media sources including footballfancast.com are claiming that Tall Paul Onuachu has been told to find a new club in January, he was seemingly again surplus to requirements back in the summer after spending 2023/24 on loan in Turkey.

Back then Saints stayed firm as several clubs tried to buy him on the cheap, including Trabzonspor where he spent last season, but their offers were considered derisory and Saints preferred to hold on to him than loan him out.

But now it seems that there is a club willing to pay the asking price and it is said that Clubb Brugge in Belgium are willing to fork out £8.5 million to bring him back to the country where he had a lot of success previously to being bought by Saints.

Tall Paul started his first game of the season and has bizarrely gone from being touted as a flop by the supporters to being a cult hero, but the truth is although he has undoubtably put in 100% effort during his time on the pitch, he is not suited to the style of play Russell Martin employs.

Against Liverpool and indeed in some of his appearances off the bench he battled gamely, but mainly in the centre circle, dropping deeper and deeper to try and get the ball, something that was not happening otherwise, we bought him to score goals, yet he has barely had a touch in the opposition penalty area, most of his touches have been in and around the centre circle.

Onuauchu is an out and out forward, if he is to be utilised it is about getting balls into the box early and getting him on the end of them, that is not Russell Martin's style, it is about pass and pass again and Tall Paul and indeed Cameron Archer spend their time making run after run only to see the ball passed sideways or backwards. Picking Onuauchu seems to be desperation from Martin, who seems to be the only person in Southampton who can't see where are problems lie and how to solve them.

Onuachu could well be Saints saviour this season, but only if Russell Martin leaves, I am truly baffled why the manager has picked him in recent weeks. if we want an extra midfield player then play one, don't use a forward.

So a big month for Tall Paul, by the end of it if Russell Martin is still here then he will be off to Brugge.

Also on the move could be Maxwell Cornet, who has made little impact since his loan move from West Ham, the problem here is that he is also surplus to requirement at The Hammers, so they won't let him go back to the London Stadium unless they can find another club to take him on loan, if they can't then they will take our money and leave him at St Mary's.

The big problem here is that it will only be the final week of the window where they might find a club who having failed in their other targets take a chance of a player who has started just 1 Premier League game for Saints plus another as sub, with the same number in the Carabao cup, in the League that is a total of 71 minutes.

They are perhaps not the only players who could leave, with Kyle Walker-Peters out of contract in the summer of 2025, Saints could choose to cash in during January with seemingly little chance of him signing a new deal.

Armel Bella-Kotchap could have been doing a job this season, but it seems that Russell Martin has no intention of playing him, suggesting a rift somewhere, again Saints will try to offload him, although personally like Tall Paul, if Martin goes than a new manager could well have different ideas and utilise Bella-Kotchap.

All Photos Via Reuters

Bowlercow added 12:11 - Nov 29 I have just watched Russell's press conference where he states quite clearly that he wants Paul to stay so any comment in a two bit rag isn't worth a mention Stewart isn't going to be fit before Christmas and will then need to be used sparingly so keeping Paul makes sense Others like Cornet Taylor and a few more will need to make a decision on where they want to be Most I suspect would rather be on loan at a championship club rather than being a bench warmer at a struggling PL club

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HythePeer added 12:35 - Nov 29 I don't suppose they could do some trimming in the managerial squad?
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sandywelsh added 14:17 - Nov 29 Lets all hope that Jack Stephens goes then.
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SanMarco added 17:50 - Nov 29 Hope away sandywelsh. Even less likely than someone crossing towards Tall Paul in the penalty area!! January will not matter in terms of us staying up - we will be gone by then. So it should be a "prepare for the second division month" - not more wasted money on a lost cause. So selling KWP would make sense.
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bryanK added 20:57 - Nov 29 I really would like to add a constructive comment to trimming the squad in January. Sports Republic will endeavour to find players on the cheap to replace the original players they brought in on the cheap.
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