Southampton’s return to the Premier League at the first attempt could actually be bad news for a player signed for £10 million last summer.
Russell Martin enjoyed a successful first season as Southampton manager, securing promotion via the play-offs after a fourth-place Championship finish.
The 38-year-old achieved this following a mass exodus as a result of relegation from the Premier League in 2023, with the task of assembling a squad ready for a promotion push no easy one.
One player who was brought in to be a key part of that was Ross Stewart but, after arriving with an achilles injury and then picking up a hamstring issue two games into his return, he played just four times for the Saints.
Southampton Ross Stewart risk may never pay off
Southampton undoubtedly took a risk spending £10 million to bring Stewart to the club from Sunderland last summer.
Not only had he been out since January with an achilles injury that would keep him out until November, he had also only ever played 13 games at Championship level.
Admittedly, he had scored ten goals and assisted three in those 13 matches, but having never played higher than that level previously there was no guarantee this was not just a purple patch of form.
At 27, it wasn’t as though the Saints were signing a player with huge potential, he was very much a player for the here and now with his arrival expected to result in the goals that would fire Southampton back to the Premier League.
As it was, the club managed to achieve that without the Scotland striker and they could realistically now never reap the rewards of the eight-figure deal.
Southampton eyeing Premier League proven strikers despite Stewart return
Stewart may well be capable of making an impact in the Premier League and he will be kept around next season but it is no secret Martin wants a proven goalscorer at the top level this summer.
Had Stewart had a season in the Championship scoring regularly for the Saints then Martin may have felt he could trust the forward to lead the line next season but he is an unknown commodity at this level.
It would therefore be a huge oversight not to sign at least one striker, with two arrivals more likely given Che Adams’ contract is set to expire at the end of June.
It has been an incredibly frustrating campaign for Stewart, with no one more disappointed in how it has gone than the player himself.
He did make a surprise return in time for the play-offs and featured in the away leg against West Brom but played just 42 minutes in the entire season.
With opportunities likely to be difficult to come by next season, Stewart’s Southampton career could be the victim of the club’s promotion.