Southampton have utilised the loan market in recent windows and have five players on temporary deals until the end of the season.
All have enjoyed productive campaigns on the South Coast and supporters will be eager to see them signed to permanent deals in the summer.
Indeed, a lot will depend on what division the club end up in, with Taylor Harwood-Bellis a prime example of that.
The Manchester City loanee has an option to buy worth £20m that will become an obligation if Southampton gain promotion to the Premier League.
Speaking exclusively to Southampton F.C. News, HITC journalist Graeme Bailey assessed the chances of signing each of the five loan players.
With that said, there is one loanee, in particular, who the club must look to sign in the summer after an encouraging statistic has emerged.
Ryan Fraser top of impressive Championship stat
Ryan Fraser joined Southampton at the beginning of the season, on loan from Premier League outfit Newcastle United.
The ‘amazing’ jet-heeled Scottish winger has netted eight goals whilst laying on three assists across all competitions, though, he perhaps should’ve had more.
As per FBref, Fraser tops the Championship chart for expected assists per 90 minutes with 0.35, which evinces just how creative he is when given the chance.
The 30-year-old has had to be patient throughout the season, starting just 11 league games, which makes his attacking contributions all the more impressive.
Regardless of what division Saints end up in, Fraser will likely be a pretty straightforward deal to complete, especially considering he’s completely out of Eddie Howe’s thinking at Newcastle.
He has one year left on his contract at St James’ Park and with a Transfermarkt value of £2.5m, Saints could secure his services permanently for a bargain price.
A big summer awaits Southampton
With five loanees set to return to their respective club and another four players all out of contract, Southampton are set for a busy summer transfer window.
Fraser shouldn’t be the only loan player the club look to sign permanently, as Flynn Downes also has to be part of the thinking beyond this season.
The West Ham United loanee is ‘integral’ to Russell Martin’s system and could be made available by The Hammers.
Though, that deal, especially, may require Saints to go up this season, as he’ll likely have top-flight suitors sniffing around for his signature.