Southampton are just a week out from playing their opening pre-season friendly, yet as things stand there is still plenty of uncertainty regarding their squad.
What players have Southampton bought?
The Saints released a number of players following their relegation from the Premier League – Theo Walcott and Mohamed Elyounoussi among them – while Mislav Orsic was sold to Trabzonspor.
Many other players could still depart St Mary's ahead of the transfer window closing on September 1, with the likes of Romeo Lavia and skipper James Ward-Prowse attracting interest from top-flight clubs.
Russell Martin could do with resolving the futures of each of those players, but the new man in charge at Southampton will no doubt have alternatives lined up should any of them depart.
Incoming activity on the south coast has so far been pretty quiet, though young talents Derrick Abu and Josh McNamara have joined from Chelsea and Manchester City, respectively this week.
That could be a theme that the Saints follow, as transfer expert Fabrizio Romano claims the Championship side are set to wrap up a £9m deal for City starlet, Shea Charles, with the respected insider stating on Twitter:
"Excl: Southampton are closing in on deal to sign Man City 2003 born midfielder Shea Charles. Manchester City will receive £9m fee — it will also include buy back clause and sell on clause for #MCFC. Charles will travel this weekend for medical if all goes to plan."
Who is Man City midfielder Shea Charles?
Charles made his first senior appearance for European champions City on the final day of the 2022-23 Premier League campaign as a second-half substitute against Brentford.
The 19-year-old played the final 27 minutes and did enough to catch the eye of manager Pep Guardiola.
"He played really good and it's fantastic for the academy," the Catalan coach said. "We know him. He trains quite regularly with us. He's so good, so composed."
Despite being inexperienced at senior level, Charles – capable of playing in defence or midfield – has impressed for City from U9 level up, most recently guiding the club to Premier League 2 title glory last season as captain of the side.
Charles' leadership qualities, even if only 19, could come in handy at St Mary's should Ward-Prowse depart in the coming weeks. Having proved himself at various levels below first-team football, the Championship could provide a perfect stepping stone for the youngster to now push on.
While one substitute appearance is hardly the biggest sample size, Charles showed against Brentford exactly the type of player he is. The teenager completed 23 of his 25 passes for a 92% pass-completion rate, as per FBref.
The majority of his touches (18/32) came in the middle third of the field, which is also where Ward-Prowse tends to be on the ball (36.8 touches per 90 minutes in that area last season).
Charles also won both of his aerial duels in his cameo against Brentford, showing he can more than hold his own when challenging for balls despite his inexperience.
The Northern Ireland international cannot be expected to slot straight into Southampton's line-up and take over from where Ward-Prowse left off, assuming the long-serving Saints star does indeed depart.
But with City clearly reluctant to let him go given the buy-back clause, Charles evidently has something about him that could also make him a Saints favourite for a number of years to come.
