The competition for places at Southampton is set to be even more intense next season following promotion to the Premier League.
Southampton will need to add both depth and quality to the squad ahead of the top flight return they secured by beating Leeds United in the play-off final.
Manager Russell Martin will have a busy summer, both working with the board to identify signings that will help in the battle for Premier League survival as well as a lot of work on the training pitch to get his players ready for the challenge.
With the quality of opposition set to increase, there can be no passengers next campaign and this could see some of the younger players or those that have been on the periphery this season find minutes extremely difficult to come by.
Therefore, Southampton could see fit to loan some players elsewhere in order to allow them to develop away from the club.
With that in mind, here are three players who the Saints could send on loan next season.
Sekou Mara needs regular football away from Southampton
Sekou Mara is still only 21, but is threatening to completely stall in his development at Southampton.
The Saints paid cash-strapped Bordeaux £11 million to sign the then-19-year-old in 2022, beating a number of clubs to the young talent’s signature.
However, the Frenchman has constantly flattered to deceive and failed to grasp his opportunities in the second tier.
Aside from a string of bright cameos in late 2023, Mara has done little to show he is capable of being a regular at the St Mary’s club. In 64 appearances for the club in all competitions since his arrival two years ago, the striker has scored just eight goals.
Southampton need to send Mara on loan in order to see if he can develop into the player they believed he could be when they signed him, as they will simply not be able to take that chance in the Premier League.
There have been reports that the Saints could loan the forward to their sister club Goztepe following their promotion to the Turkish top flight and this could present a good solution for all parties.
Sam Amo-Ameyaw should seek EFL loan
One of the surprises of Martin’s first pre-season at Southampton last summer was how heavily involved Sam Amo-Ameyaw was.
Just 16 when Martin arrived, the manager liked what he saw from the diminutive winger and he impressed in friendlies against the likes of Benfica, Reading and Bournemouth.
Amo-Ameyaw was on the bench for the first game of the Championship season before coming off the bench in the next two league fixtures and starting the fourth.
However, Ryan Fraser’s arrival saw the England under-18 winger fall down the pecking order and he spent the bulk of the season playing for the club’s ‘B’ team.
Speaking about Amo-Ameyaw ahead of the 2023/24 season, Martin was full of praise for the winger as he said: “You’ve got to be really careful with young players but he’s an exceptional talent.
“He’s a really exciting player and a great kid. He was 17 a few days ago and he’s signed his first professional contract.
“There’s a real edge to him on the pitch. he’s got a real pitch personality for someone so young. I think the other players really respect his ability and attitude to work.”
“We can be excited about him but we can also understand that he is very, very young and he has a lot of work to do.
“For his age, he’s been a beautiful surprise for us in terms of what he can produce. It’s up to us to make him ready for the first team regularly as quickly as possible.”
With Fraser set to sign permanently and at least one more winger expected to be signed, Amo-Ameyaw is unlikely to feature for Southampton next season but could seek an EFL loan to further his senior opportunities.
Southampton summer business could see Nico Lawrence go on loan
Centre-back Taylor Harwood-Bellis was Southampton’s first signing this summer as the terms of his loan from Manchester City stipulated that the deal would be made permanent for £20 million if the Saints were promoted.
Aside from Harwood-Bellis, the only two senior central defenders at the club currently are Jan Bednarek and Jack Stephens, meaning Martin is likely to target another addition at the heart of the defence.
20-year-old centre-back Nico Lawrence was training regularly with the first-team at the backend of last season following recovering from the injury that saw his loan spell at Colchester United end prematurely.
The deciding factor on whether Lawrence will be sent on loan again will likely be whether Martin opts to continue with the back five shape he utilised effectively in the play-offs.
If he does then Lawrence could stay on the south coast as the fifth-choice centre-back given there will be three starting each week.
Lawrence won Torquay’s Young Player of the Season award whilst on loan in 202/23 despite the club being relegated from the National League.
With his League Two loan at Colchester United curtailed by injury, a loan to either the third or fourth tier may be best to give the central defender vital experience as well as toughen him up in what is a physically demanding position even in the modern game.
