adminThe remarkable summer exodus of talent from Southampton is set to continue with Morgan Schneiderlin and Jay Rodriguez close to a reunion with their former manager, Mauricio Pochettino, at Tottenham Hotspur in the wake of the sale of Calum Chambers to Arsenal.The south coast club, then overseen by Pochettino, finished in eighth place last season yet Chambers, who has signed a long-term contract at the Emirates Stadium, is the fifth key member of that team to be sold this summer for combined fees in excess of £90m.
The Southampton hierarchy, apparently with the blessing of the new manager, Ronald Koeman, has determined that any player who expresses a desire to leave will be allowed to exit St Mary’s for the right price though, at present, the first-team squad is increasingly appearing asset-stripped.
They had hoped to dissuade suitors from bidding for Schneiderlin, a player Koeman had considered vital to his approach, by demanding in excess of the £27m fee that took Luke Shaw to Manchester United earlier this summer.
But the France midfielder has expressed a desire to rejoin Pochettino and, with talks ongoing over a compromise fee, he will be accompanied by Rodriguez despite the England striker still recovering from an anterior cruciate knee ligament injury that denied him a place at the World Cup.
The 24-year-old is back in light training and, with the player due to be fit again in October, it is understood personal terms have already been agreed in principle for a move to White Hart Lane.
Aside from Shaw and Chambers, Southampton have sold Rickie Lambert, Adam Lallana and Dejan Lovren to Liverpool for a combined £49.5m this summer, with Dani Osvaldo expected to depart before the start of the season and José Fonte having attracted a £3m bid from Cardiff City.
The club’s executive director, Les Reed, admitted disappointment at Chambers’ departure for a fee that could eventually rise to £16m, but called for calm amid growing concern among supporters.
“We have an abundance of talent in the Academy coming through, and everybody at the club is continuing to work hard on bringing in quality new players as we build a team capable of taking us further forward in the coming seasons,” he said.
“It is important in the transfer window to remain calm, resilient and above all patient. We have targets, and we are working hard to get them across the line.” — Dailymail
Online Reporter