Southampton can save £62.5k p/w on wages by selling duo alongside Ben Brereton-Diaz | OneFootball

Southampton letting go of Ben Brereton-Diaz could free up wages in January, with two others also potentially joining the forward.

Southampton, like every Championship club, are looking ahead to January as an opportunity to bolster their ranks for the second half of the season, but sales could also free up squad space and wages.

Players could be loaned out or sold in order to help the club conduct business of their own, with Tonda Eckert keen to imprint his own ideas on the playing squad further with signings of his own.

Damion Downs is already linked with a loan exit from Southampton, but more could yet follow. The likes of Ben Brereton-Diaz are out on loan with Derby County currently, but the Chilean forward has been linked with a move abroad.

Brereton-Diaz is of interest to Toronto, which is one way they can raise funds or extra wage space, but he is not the only way that Eckert and co. can be clever in the market, with bouncing straight back to the Premier League at the first time of asking being their ultimate aim. We have taken a look at how they can save even more in the winter market.

Should a move for Brereton-Diaz materialise, Southampton would be saving some of his £10,000 per week wages. That figure comes via estimates from Capology, albeit it is unclear how much Derby County are currently covering.

According to German outlet Kicker, Downs is wanted by Hamburger SV on loan. That could also save a chunk of his £12,500 estimated wage as well. He could return to Germany permanently or on loan and trim their wage bill.

However, the most significant player who is currently out of favour — and on a hefty wage — is Cameron Archer. Eckert has real firepower in his ranks and the striker is not featuring regularly as a starting player at present.

The Saints operate with three forwards and often one of the wing-backs is more of an attack-minded profile or even a natural winger. It means getting numerous attackers combining at once, and may well explain the upturn in form in front of goal.

Archer has been prolific at this level with the likes of Preston North End and Middlesbrough, but Adam Armstong's scintillating form has kept him on the bench more often than not. It's fair to say that he has been unable to recapture that form at all at St. Mary’s.

With Archer finding himself down the pecking order of their attacking options, the 24-year-old will surely want to find somewhere else that will give him the regular game time that he is surely craving, be that via a loan move or a permanent switch.

Per Capology's estimates, only three players earn more than Archer's £40,000 per week. There are four other players on the same wages he is on. Of course, that may well make it difficult for potential suitors to afford him, but he also needs to be playing.

The key to why multiple forwards could be moved on from Southampton lies in a recent report from The Sun that Eckert is eyeing a striker in January. That, evidently, could do more damage to Archer's place in the striker pecking order.

Joe Aribo could also save Southampton wages as the club's highest earner. Like Archer, that would be hugely significant for Eckert. However, despite coming off the bench on Saturday, the writing feels more on the wall for the striker.

Per the Southern Daily Echo, Eckert even admitted Archer has been omitted from matchday squads without an injury. After the Millwall game, he was asked whether Archer’s exclusion was forced or just down to choice, Eckert responded: “It was for selection today.”

Despite notching 19 goals and seven assists in 54 Championship games, he does not currently fit into the plans as a starting player and it's a waste of his talents.