Southampton are looking forward to their return to the Premier League after Championship promotion, but not every player will be along for the ride.
Russell Martin has done a brilliant job in his solitary season at Southampton so far, earning promotion via the play-offs whilst overhauling the playing style.
One of the 38-year-old manager’s biggest strengths is the way he makes everyone feel important with his man-management skills.
Saints have added some much-needed experience to their ranks this summer with moves for Adam Lallana and Charlie Taylor, whilst Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Ronnie Edwards are the other signings so far.
With further additions needed, Southampton will have to make more sales to free up funds and space in the squad.
With that in mind, here are three players who could be in last chance saloon to show Martin they should be part of the Premier League return this pre-season.
Sekou Mara running out of chances to be Southampton regular
The first player is Sekou Mara, the French striker who Southampton spent £11 million to sign in 2022.
Still only 21, Mara is a talented player but has struggled to progress since his move to the St Mary’s club; constantly failing to impress when handed starting opportunities.
Martin is looking to sign at least one striker this summer and that could spell the end for Mara who has been linked with a move to Southampton’s sister club Goztepe.
However, Mara could be handed one last chance to show he can be a part of Martin’s plans if he can make his mark in what looks set to be a crucial pre-season for the striker.
Failure to grasp that opportunity is likely to spell the end of Southampton’s patience with the Frenchman.
James Bree may be upgraded this summer
James Bree had a difficult start to life at Southampton after being signed by his former Luton Town manager Nathan Jones in January 2023 before Jones was sacked days later.
Having remained a squad player at the start of Martin’s time in charge, Bree was handed an opportunity to fill in at left-back after Ryan Manning picked up a suspension in October.
The 26-year-old impressed with a string of solid performances and Martin praised the player for overcoming a tough start to his Saints career, as he said: “He is so resilient. You can see that from his career.
“He had a move early on which didn’t go to plan. Then he went out on loan and found a place that really suited him in Luton.
“He bounced back and earned himself a move here and has had another really difficult period. He is a better player than he actually believes. It’s up to us to bring that out of him”.
However, Bree again found himself out of the side for the business end of last season.
Kyle Walker-Peters could be sold this summer, but that does not necessarily open the door for Bree with the Saints pursuing Bournemouth right-back Max Aarons.
There are massive question marks around Bree’s ability to make the step up to the Premier League and this summer gives the player the opportunity to show he is capable of playing at the top level.
Could Carlos Alcaraz be given another chance after failed Juventus loan?
One of the biggest shocks of last season was the fact that 21-year-old attacking midfielder Carlos Alcaraz joined Italian giants on loan in January with an option to buy of over £35 million.
The Argentine only signed for Southampton in January 2023 for £12 million from Racing Club in his homeland and was one of the few players to impress in a season in which the Saints finished bottom of the Premier League.
Alcaraz featured in 23 games in the Championship in the first half of last season, scoring three goals but struggling to earn a place in the starting XI under Martin.
Alcaraz struggled to gain Martin’s trust, as the Saints boss explained early in the season as he said: “I see the players every day. When you are asking people to play a certain way – Charly [Alcaraz] is a young man and doesn’t speak the language well, if at all.
“We are asking him to play in a team with a lot of structure and there are things he knows he needs to do better.”
However, with Juventus not set to trigger their option to buy and clubs unlikely to meet Southampton’s valuation of the talented youngster, perhaps another summer to learn Martin’s tactics could see him reintegrated into the side next season.
Given how impressive he was in his short stint in the Premier League last time around, it could prove an inspired return.
