Southampton – Sport Witness http://sportwitness.co.uk Tue, 31 Oct 2023 19:15:42 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.1.15 Man United, Aston Villa and Southampton on weekend scouting mission – Manager not panicking yet http://sportwitness.co.uk/man-united-aston-villa-southampton-weekend-scouting-mission-manager-not-worrying-losing-star/ http://sportwitness.co.uk/man-united-aston-villa-southampton-weekend-scouting-mission-manager-not-worrying-losing-star/#respond Mon, 30 Oct 2023 11:16:32 +0000 http://sportwitness.co.uk/?p=445208 Manchester United, Aston Villa and Southampton are among the clubs keeping close tabs on Brøndby IF star Nicolai Vallys, according to Ekstra Bladet. The attacking midfielder has impressed this season, scoring seven goals and registering one assist from 11 games. On Sunday, he starred by netting the winner in his side’s 2-1 victory over FC

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Manchester United, Aston Villa and Southampton are among the clubs keeping close tabs on Brøndby IF star Nicolai Vallys, according to Ekstra Bladet.

The attacking midfielder has impressed this season, scoring seven goals and registering one assist from 11 games. On Sunday, he starred by netting the winner in his side’s 2-1 victory over FC Nordsjælland.

Vallys’ performances have caught the attention of several clubs, including Manchester United, Aston Villa and Southampton.

It’s claimed the Premier League duo, the Saints, VfL Wolfsburg, Real Betis, Marseille and PSV Eindhoven all had officials in attendance yesterday to watch the 27-year-old live in action against Nordsjælland.

Among these clubs, the report states PSV had sent their chief scout to take a closer look at the Denmark international and others.

When describing his latest performance, Ekstra Bladet say Vallys showcased his qualities to the scouts who were in attendance and he’s the ‘epitome of football intelligence at a high level.’

The Dane’s deal lasts until 2026 and Brøndby manager Jesper Sørensen has admitted that he’s not surprised other clubs have set their sights on him.

“I don’t go about my day worrying about whether we can keep Vallys. But if there is someone else who thinks Vallys is more talented than us, then I can really understand that,” he said.

Despite the likes of Manchester United, Aston Villa and Southampton watching Vallys, the newspaper questions if many big clubs would ‘put large sums of millions’ on the table for a player who turned 27 years of age in September.

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Southampton man set for injury spell as old problem re-emerges – Manager can’t rule out surgery http://sportwitness.co.uk/southampton-man-set-injury-spell-old-problem-re-emerges-manager-cant-rule-surgery/ http://sportwitness.co.uk/southampton-man-set-injury-spell-old-problem-re-emerges-manager-cant-rule-surgery/#respond Fri, 27 Oct 2023 15:16:43 +0000 http://sportwitness.co.uk/?p=445081 Southampton defender Armel Bella-Kotchap could be facing an extended spell on the sidelines after suffering another shoulder injury on loan at PSV Eindhoven. That’s according to Voetbal International, who carry quotes from PSV boss Peter Bosz today on the defender, who is set to miss this weekend’s clash with Ajax. The newspaper explains that Bella-Kotchap,

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Southampton defender Armel Bella-Kotchap could be facing an extended spell on the sidelines after suffering another shoulder injury on loan at PSV Eindhoven.

That’s according to Voetbal International, who carry quotes from PSV boss Peter Bosz today on the defender, who is set to miss this weekend’s clash with Ajax.

The newspaper explains that Bella-Kotchap, who arrived in a last minute, deadline day move from Southampton in the summer after a potential loan to Germany fell through, ‘is not available’ for PSV for the time being.

They explain that the central defender is ‘struggling’ with a shoulder injury, the fourth time in his career he’s had such a problem.

The German defender has reportedly been struggling with a shoulder injury for a week, which means he already missed games against Fortuna Sittard and Lens.

“He’s not here for the time being. But it’s not up to me to say whether he needs surgery. I think the club will make a statement about this early next week,” Bosz said at a press conference when asked about the player.

VI explain the shoulder injury is a long-standing one for the centre-back, who missed seven games at VfL Bochum and spent two separate spells on the sidelines at Southampton with the same injury.

He was also on the sidelines for ten games with a knee injury last season and it now remains to be seen how many PSV matches he will have to miss with this problem.

That’s something the Dutch club will presumably announce next week when it’s been decided whether he needs surgery.

Either way, it appears his loan spell is set for an abrupt halt, with an old injury flaring up and causing problems at his new club.

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Club ‘not panicking’ despite ‘slow start’ for Southampton transfer – Yet to overcome ‘disadvantage’ http://sportwitness.co.uk/club-not-panicking-despite-slow-start-southampton-transfer/ http://sportwitness.co.uk/club-not-panicking-despite-slow-start-southampton-transfer/#respond Thu, 26 Oct 2023 16:16:07 +0000 http://sportwitness.co.uk/?p=444934 Bayer Leverkusen are ‘not panicking’ over the signing of Nathan Tella from Southampton this summer, despite him not yet making much of an impact at the club. That’s according to Fussball Transfers, who carry quotes from Leverkusen director Simon Rolfes on the player’s struggles. Tella joined Leverkusen in a €23.3m deal from Southampton in the

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Bayer Leverkusen are ‘not panicking’ over the signing of Nathan Tella from Southampton this summer, despite him not yet making much of an impact at the club.

That’s according to Fussball Transfers, who carry quotes from Leverkusen director Simon Rolfes on the player’s struggles.

Tella joined Leverkusen in a €23.3m deal from Southampton in the summer as the German side paid big to continue improving Xabi Alonso’s squad.

He was brought in as a replacement for Moussa Diaby, who had left for Aston Villa earlier in the summer and left a big hole that needed to be filled.

He’s yet to fill the boots left behind by the Frenchman, though, with no goals in the Bundesliga so far and just one goal in two games in the Europa League.

Indeed, he’s barely featured in the Bundesliga to date, participating in just 7% of the available minutes in the league, not the kind of numbers expected given the money paid to sign him from Southampton.

Fussball Transfers, though, insist the club are ‘not panicking’ just yet despite a ‘slow start’ for the winger.

They say the former Southampton man has suffered from a clear ‘disadvantage’ in that his preference to dribble with the ball goes against the possession style of play adopted by Alonso.

The belief is that Tella needs time to adjust and work out how he fits in, something Rolfes has echoed.

“All players who came to us later have this problem,” he said. “So far we have been very dominant, but we will still need these facets this season.”

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Agent reveals Southampton effort to keep player – Big things promised after international displays http://sportwitness.co.uk/agent-reveals-southampton-effort-keep-player-big-things-promised-international-displays/ http://sportwitness.co.uk/agent-reveals-southampton-effort-keep-player-big-things-promised-international-displays/#respond Thu, 19 Oct 2023 17:16:43 +0000 http://sportwitness.co.uk/?p=443725 Southampton offered a contract to youngster Kazeem Olaigbe this summer, but he ultimately wanted to test himself elsewhere, so returned to Belgium with Cercle Brugge. That’s according to his agent, Sylvester Agyei, who has revealed Southampton’s efforts to keep the player this summer fell by the wayside. Olaigbe departed the Saints on a free transfer

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Southampton offered a contract to youngster Kazeem Olaigbe this summer, but he ultimately wanted to test himself elsewhere, so returned to Belgium with Cercle Brugge.

That’s according to his agent, Sylvester Agyei, who has revealed Southampton’s efforts to keep the player this summer fell by the wayside.

Olaigbe departed the Saints on a free transfer this summer, electing to return to Belgium with Brugge at the end of August after four years with the Saints.

He had initially joined them from Anderlecht’s youth system in 2019 and moved his way up from there, ending up in the B team before loan spells at Ross County and Harrogate Town.

He failed to make a single appearance for the first team, though, and so decided to return to his homeland in search of more minutes and development this summer.

He’s been slowly integrated into Cercle Brugge’s first team this season, with just four appearances to his name so far and 15% of the available minutes to his name but that’s been enough to see him feature for Belgium’s U21’s.

He made his debut with them in September and hasn’t looked back since, bagging goals in each of his three games so far and earning plenty of praise.

It seems his decision to leave Southampton has paid off and they may be regretting not trying harder to keep him, having made an offer that was ultimately rejected.

“He really gained maturity there and grew physically,” Agyei said regarding his client’s time in England.

“Southampton wanted to extend, but Kazeem wanted to prove himself in Belgium. (Now) we are just bringing him in slowly. People haven’t seen the last of him yet, I can assure you of that.”

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Manager still happily sitting on Southampton contract – Expires in 2024, recently attended shareholder’s wedding http://sportwitness.co.uk/manager-still-happily-sitting-southampton-contract-expires-2024-recently-attended-shareholders-wedding/ http://sportwitness.co.uk/manager-still-happily-sitting-southampton-contract-expires-2024-recently-attended-shareholders-wedding/#respond Tue, 17 Oct 2023 17:26:36 +0000 http://sportwitness.co.uk/?p=443268 Manager Ralph Hasenhüttl continues to enjoy his time out of the game and seeing out his Southampton contract, which runs until next year. That’s according to journalist Peter Linden, who says the manager continues to enjoy a break ‘that has not ended’ for now. Hasenhüttl parted ways with Southampton in December 2022 after four years

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Manager Ralph Hasenhüttl continues to enjoy his time out of the game and seeing out his Southampton contract, which runs until next year.

That’s according to journalist Peter Linden, who says the manager continues to enjoy a break ‘that has not ended’ for now.

Hasenhüttl parted ways with Southampton in December 2022 after four years in the job after his appointment in December 2018 following his departure from RB Leipzig earlier that year.

He had left a good impression in the Premier League, despite Southampton’s troubles in the latter stages of his reign but is yet to return to work despite links to jobs in England and the Bundesliga.

It’s been reported on several occasions that he is in no rush to make a return and Linden says that remains the case.

He states that Hasenhüttl has received ‘many enquiries’ since his departure from Southampton but didn’t have an ‘easy ear’ for anyone, instead preferring to enjoy his time in his house in Seefeld, near Innsbruck.

None of the jobs offered have ‘appealed to him’ and he’s more than happy to see out his Southampton contract, which runs until 2024.

Indeed, the most attention he has been garnering is as a guest of Katharina Liebherr, former Saints owner and now minority shareholder at the club, at her wedding in the Nobel Hotel Dolder in Zurich.

It seems he is in no rush to return to work and is instead waiting to see what happens in the coming months while he continues to cash his Saints pay cheque.

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“It was a shock” – Former Southampton owner on 13 year stint, why she eventually sold up http://sportwitness.co.uk/shock-former-southampton-owner-13-year-stint-eventually-sold/ http://sportwitness.co.uk/shock-former-southampton-owner-13-year-stint-eventually-sold/#respond Fri, 13 Oct 2023 12:03:26 +0000 http://sportwitness.co.uk/?p=442734 Former Southampton owner Katharina Liebherr has admitted it was a shock when her father bought the club in 2009 and explained why she eventually sold up. The multimillionaire has been speaking to Blick about the family’s ownership of Southampton, which lasted for 13 years before she eventually sold the majority of her shares and saw

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Former Southampton owner Katharina Liebherr has admitted it was a shock when her father bought the club in 2009 and explained why she eventually sold up.

The multimillionaire has been speaking to Blick about the family’s ownership of Southampton, which lasted for 13 years before she eventually sold the majority of her shares and saw them further diluted by the new ownership.

The Liebherr family initially bought Southampton in 2009, with Katharina’s father Markus paid an undisclosed figure to take charge at St Mary’s.

Sadly, his reign would last just a year as he died unexpectedly of a heart attack in 2010 at the age of 62, a circumstance that nobody saw coming.

That saw Katharina handed the shares and control of the club and she would spend the next seven years in charge before selling an 80% stake to Chinese businessman Gao Jisheng.

Her remaining 20% stake in the club was diluted further down by the arrival Sport Republik, who bought the controlling stake in the club from Jisheng but not Liebherr’s 20%.

Their injection of cash into Southampton meant her shares diluted downwards, and while she remains committed to the club, she is no longer in control, not that it has changed her plans for them moving forwards.

“It was a shock when my father bought Southampton FC!” she said on the initial takeover.

“As a family, we had no experience in this industry. He bought the club in 2009 and died in 2010. I have never seen him as happy as he was that year. Even though he wasn’t allowed to witness any of our ascents, he still fulfilled his lifelong dream.

“You need a lot of capital. Especially in the Premier League,” she added regarding her decision to sell up.

“The heights aren’t really a problem. With Ronald Koeman as coach and Ralph Krueger as chairman, we reached 6th place, and things went very well during the time that I was the sole owner.

“But it is important to prepare for worse times. We were looking for partners for this. My concern was always to find someone to whom I could pass the club into good hands.

“I always wanted to stay there, but above all because I have a strong emotional bond with the employees and can build a bridge to a new owner. Mr. Gao had similar values ​​to my father. That would actually have been a good solution.

“Unfortunately, we were relegated in the summer, and that didn’t have a positive impact on the club’s value. We want to get promoted again and then I am convinced that the club’s value will recover again.”

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Manager suggests he’s yet to get ‘energy’ back after Southampton exit – Staying unemployed for now http://sportwitness.co.uk/manager-suggests-hes-yet-get-energy-back-southampton-exit-staying-unemployed-now/ http://sportwitness.co.uk/manager-suggests-hes-yet-get-energy-back-southampton-exit-staying-unemployed-now/#respond Thu, 05 Oct 2023 12:16:53 +0000 http://sportwitness.co.uk/?p=441331 Ralph Hasenhüttl has admitted he is not yet ready to return to work after his departure from Southampton 11 months ago. The Austrian coach has been speaking to Sky, relayed by La Ola 1, about his situation as he remains out of work since leaving Southampton. He departed St Mary’s last year after four years

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Ralph Hasenhüttl has admitted he is not yet ready to return to work after his departure from Southampton 11 months ago.

The Austrian coach has been speaking to Sky, relayed by La Ola 1, about his situation as he remains out of work since leaving Southampton.

He departed St Mary’s last year after four years and 173 games in charge of the club, after initially arriving in December 2018.

He initially made a positive impression at the club, engineering an attractive brand of football and help develop a team and youngsters from the club’s highly rated youth system.

Things began to turn against him at the club though and they decided to part ways with him after Southampton lost six of their last nine Premier League games under him and sat in the bottom three.

He’s been out of work since, with reports explaining that he’s happily enjoying a holiday period in his native Austria and even turning down jobs in Germany because of it.

The implication has been that he is not yet ready to return to work after his time at Southampton and he’s confirmed as much, insisting he is yet to get his hunger back for the game.

“It’s true that after the Premier League there aren’t that many leagues that are interesting for you, but that doesn’t mean you don’t want to learn a new language,” he said.

“Football has given you a lot and you yourself have tried to give a lot to football, especially in terms of energy.

“When the desire is back, I’m sure that there will be another task that you can imagine. I don’t see that at the moment.”

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Southampton man makes interesting future comments – Money not a motivation amid transfer links http://sportwitness.co.uk/southampton-man-makes-interesting-future-comments-money-not-motivation-amid-transfer-links/ http://sportwitness.co.uk/southampton-man-makes-interesting-future-comments-money-not-motivation-amid-transfer-links/#respond Thu, 05 Oct 2023 10:09:56 +0000 http://sportwitness.co.uk/?p=441301 Southampton youngster Carlos Alcaraz has insisted he will decide his future based on his happiness and not money, as he continues to be linked with a move away from the club. The midfielder has been speaking to D Sports + in Argentina regarding his former manager Fernando Gago and his own career in future, with

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Southampton youngster Carlos Alcaraz has insisted he will decide his future based on his happiness and not money, as he continues to be linked with a move away from the club.

The midfielder has been speaking to D Sports + in Argentina regarding his former manager Fernando Gago and his own career in future, with his comments relayed by TyC Sports.

He’s been with Southampton since the January transfer window, when he arrived as part of a big spend that month to reshape the squad and attempt to avoid relegation.

The Saints were unable to do that, but he impressed in the months up to the end of the season, so much so that he reportedly now has Premier League suitors.

Newcastle United are thought to be particularly keen on him, with several reports indicating that they could make a move to sign him in the January transfer window.

That would be a big move for him, both in terms of joining a Premier League club now competing in the Champions League and the money now on offer at St James’ Park.

The Southampton man isn’t interested in that, though and insists he isn’t in the game for the money and that would not be a major motivation for him at any point.

“I play football because it makes me happy,” he said.

“I look at my future more for my happiness than for economic reasons. I would love to return to Racing.”  

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Club ‘attentive’ to Southampton man’s transfer situation – Could benefit massively from Newcastle interest http://sportwitness.co.uk/club-attentive-southampton-mans-transfer-situation-benefit-massively-newcastle-interest/ http://sportwitness.co.uk/club-attentive-southampton-mans-transfer-situation-benefit-massively-newcastle-interest/#respond Wed, 04 Oct 2023 12:16:25 +0000 http://sportwitness.co.uk/?p=441096 Argentine side Racing de Alma are ‘attentive’ to the situation around Charly Alcaraz at Southampton, as he continues to be linked with a move to Newcastle. That’s according to Racing de Alma, who say they could be set to benefit massively if Newcastle or anyone else were to make a move for him. Alcaraz joined

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Argentine side Racing de Alma are ‘attentive’ to the situation around Charly Alcaraz at Southampton, as he continues to be linked with a move to Newcastle.

That’s according to Racing de Alma, who say they could be set to benefit massively if Newcastle or anyone else were to make a move for him.

Alcaraz joined Southampton in January last year and was a regular until the end of the season, putting in several impressive performances despite the Saints eventual relegation.

He elected to stay with the club in the Championship in the summer despite interest from Premier League clubs and he’s been in and out of the side this season, with eight appearances in the league but only 47% of the minutes played.

That’s not stopped the interest in him, though, and reports in England have claimed that Newcastle want him and will try to get a deal done in the January transfer window.

That’s caused Racing de Alma to start paying attention as they still own 15% of the profit on a transfer should the player leave Southampton.

They’re believed to value Alcaraz at €30m after paying €13.65m in January, so if Newcastle or anyone else were to match that the Argentine side would be due 15% of the €17m difference, for example.

At the moment nobody has come close to paying that fee, with Brighton offering €22m in the summer, but the interest remains, and it is the Magpies being linked with a move in January at the moment.

Thus, Racing will remain ‘attentive’ to what goes on, hoping to receive ‘fresh money’ from the player just a year after selling him to Southampton.

 

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Player ‘will return’ to Southampton next summer – Club already working on a replacement http://sportwitness.co.uk/player-will-return-southampton-next-summer-club-already-working-replacement/ http://sportwitness.co.uk/player-will-return-southampton-next-summer-club-already-working-replacement/#respond Thu, 28 Sep 2023 15:16:32 +0000 http://sportwitness.co.uk/?p=440273 Since PSV completed the signing of Armel Bella-Kotchap from Southampton this summer, there had been excitement from the Dutch media about the signing. The local press was satisfied with his first appearances for the club, and people even wondered whether that loan would become a permanent transfer, despite him disappearing from the team lately. Now

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Since PSV completed the signing of Armel Bella-Kotchap from Southampton this summer, there had been excitement from the Dutch media about the signing.

The local press was satisfied with his first appearances for the club, and people even wondered whether that loan would become a permanent transfer, despite him disappearing from the team lately.

Now PSV Fans, relaying information from journalist Rik Elfrink, provide an update on the matter and say Bella-Kotchap ‘will return’ to Southampton at the end of the season.

Their story is mostly about the Dutch club’s interest in Miles Robinson, as after an attempt this summer, they’re set to try and sign him again next year.

Robinson is a central defender, and his arrival at PSV would be made to replace Bella-Kotchap in the squad.

The story recalls that the loan agreement with Southampton did not include a purchase  option, and sounds very confident in saying that he’ll be back at St. Mary’s at the end of the season.

It may seem to early for such an affirmation, but perhaps that’s a stance that PSV already have. In case of a comeback to England, Bella-Kotchap’s contract with the Saints runs until 2026.

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