Southampton are fully focussed on the second-leg of their play-off semi-final against West Brom on Friday night.
Having drawn the away leg 0-0, Southampton are now the favourites to reach the Wembley final on 26th May given they have home advantage in the crucial second game.
They may not have been in such a privileged position had it not been for the heroics of their goalkeeper Alex McCarthy.
The 34-year-old had come into the side following Gavin Bazunu‘s achilles injury and has played the last six games, but his performance against West Brom was by far his best yet.
Now, McCarthy is being said to be attracting the attention of a number of clubs given the goalkeeper is out of contract in the summer.
Alex McCarthy linked with big clubs this summer
According to a report on the Mail Online on Tuesday, McCarthy could be in line to secure a big move following the end of the campaign.
The former England international goalkeeper has been thrust back into the spotlight with his performance against West Brom, with his close-range stop from a Grady Diangana header drawing particular praise.
The likes of Liverpool, Newcastle United and Scottish giants Celtic are all being linked with a swoop for the soon to be free agent.
The former Reading goalkeeper would likely be third-choice at both Liverpool and Newcastle, but he could be tempted to make the move north of the border with current number one Joe Hart set to retire in the summer.
McCarthy making unexpected play-off contribution
McCarthy has experienced a remarkable turnaround this season, as the stopper looked to have played his last game for the club prior to Bazunu’s injury.
With his contract expiring this summer and the fact McCarthy has not even been named on the bench for the majority of the season, few would have expected him to be playing such a crucial role in Southampton’s season-defining play-off games.
Joe Lumley joined the Saints in the summer as a free agent and has played in the cup matches this season, so it was hugely surprising when it was Mccarthy that Russell Martin picked to replace Bazunu at the last-minute when the Ireland ‘keeper pulled out of the Preston game in the warm up.
What makes this more shocking is that McCarthy was not even on the match day squad that night, with Lumley named on the bench.
However, perhaps Mccarthy’s calm persona and experience meant Martin felt he would be less flustered by coming into the side so late.
Following the draw at The Hawthorns, Martin said of the goalkeeper: “I just don’t think anything phases him. He has that laid-back mentality but he really backs himself as a goalkeeper.”
“He has been fantastic.”
Now, the goalkeeper could be the unlikely hero should Southampton achieve play-off success
