The 3 players who could follow Daniel Peretz to Southampton this summer | OneFootball

FLW has taken a look at three players who could join Daniel Peretz at Southampton this summer

Southampton have recovered their season superbly to put themselves in a strong position to attack the top six as we enter the final stretch of games of the Championship campaign.

The Saints have indeed marched on in recent months under the guidance of Tonda Eckert, though that hasn't been the case for the majority of the year.

Will Still was chosen to take charge at St Mary's over the summer following relegation from the Premier League, after his work in Belgium and France pushed him into the global spotlight.

It was viewed as a major coup for Southampton, though after just 16 games, they were back to square one, with Still winning just four games in charge, and he was subsequently replaced by the club's Under-21's boss, Tonda Eckert.

Since taking the helm on the South Coast, the German has fired Southampton from relegation candidates to promotion contenders, with a spot in the play-offs a very real possibility at this stage.

The decision to replace Gavin Bazunu in goal with Daniel Peretz on loan from Bayern Munich has been key to their revival, with the Israeli shot-stopper said to be keen to return to the club permanently this summer.

Given this news, FLW has taken a look at three players who could follow him through the doors at St Mary's this summer.

Ao Tanaka

Japanese midfielder Ao Tanaka was one of Leeds United's star performers last campaign, with Daniel Farke's side lifting the second-tier title on 100 points.

Since promotion, Tanaka has found game time increasingly difficult to come across, having played less than 90 minutes of league football since the turn of the new year, with a seven-game spell as an unused substitute.

Signed from German side Fortuna Dusseldorf for a mere €3.5 million (£2.95 million) in the summer of 2024, Tanaka was voted as Leeds' Players' Player of the Year in his first season at the club by his teammates, as well as named to the 2024/25 EFL Championship Team of the Season, making 43 league appearances, scoring five and assisting twice.

However, less than 800 league minutes this year have seen him fall out of favour at Elland Road, which means he could be on the move as early as this summer.

The 27-year-old would likely be a bargain buy for any second-tier side, and Southampton would be no exception.

With Shea Charles and Caspar Jander gathering interest of their own, should one or two of those leave the Saints this summer, Tanaka would be an immaculate replacement, regardless of what division they are playing in next year.

Joel Piroe

Dutch-born, newly-capped Surinamese international Joel Piroe, similarly to Tanaka, has seen his game time slashed in West Yorkshire following Leeds' return to the Premier League.

Piroe finished last campaign as the division's top goalscorer on 19 goals, and despite spearheading Leeds' promotion push, his game time in the top flight was never guaranteed.

As it happened, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha joined Farke's side in the summer, and the pair have been the German's preferred options up top this season, leaving Piroe out in the cold.

With just over 200 minutes of league football in 13 appearances this campaign, few would have expected his game time to be this scarce, with an exit over the winter window being heavily speculated.

Piroe remained at Elland Road beyond January, though with his game not improving, a summer exit could be on the cards, and Southampton should be one of the clubs at the front of the queue.

With 73 goals and 18 assists in 179 Championship games during spells with both Swansea City and Leeds, the 26-year-old has more than proved that he knows where the back of the net is in this division.

Ross Stewart is out of contract at the end of the campaign with no renewal sorted, whilst Cameron Archer is clearly unfavoured by Eckert, and Cyle Larin is only on loan.

A new centre-forward will likely be a priority entering the summer, and Piroe fits the mould for what Southampton require, and could be a perfect fit on the South Coast, regardless of what division they are in.

Roggerio Nyakossi

Swiss centre-back Roggerio Nyakossi was wanted by Southampton as recently as January, with the 22-year-old attracting interest across Europe for his performances in the Belgian Pro League with OH Leuven.

Southampton's bitter rivals, Portsmouth, reportedly saw a £1.5 million offer turned down for Nyakossi over the summer, and since then, he has gone on to thrive for Leuven, and even recently seen reported interest from Chelsea and Liverpool emerge.

Of course, the Saints would be up against it should they enter a transfer battle with Premier League sides for Nyakossi, with the only likely way they could attract him to St Mary's at this stage being if they are promoted.

A six-foot-four-inches-tall, Nyakossi has quickly become one of the hottest prospects across the continent, and should promotion be achieved, Eckert must make him a priority target.