"Massive blow" - Southampton reaction given to new Taylor Harwood-Bellis transfer situation | OneFootball

FLW's Southampton fan pundit shares their thoughts on Taylor Harwood-Bellis' links away from the club

Southampton will be preparing for another year in the Championship after missing out on promotion in unprecedented circumstances, with the club assessing all of its options after a hectic last month.

When Southampton appointed Will Still at the beginning of the season, they did so with the hopes that he would guide them to promotion, with at least a top-six finish.

The Saints indeed managed a top-six finish, but the way it has since panned out for the Saints has been truly remarkable.

Tonda Eckert replaced Still at the helm after just 16 games, and the German led the club to an incredible unbeaten run in the second half of the campaign, losing just one of their last 25 games in all competitions, that being to Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-final.

As their play-off semi-final with Middlesbrough dawned, accusations of spying emerged, which they were subsequently found guilty of, and were thrown out of the competition as a result, with another year in the second tier on the horizon.

Where the future of Eckert and numerous members of the squad lies remains to be seen, though one player is bound to attract more interest than most, with rumours already beginning to swirl.

Southampton's Taylor Harwood-Bellis has been linked with moves to West Ham United, Coventry City, and Hull City

English centre-back Taylor Harwood-Bellis is a player who is attracting interest this window, with the likes of West Ham United, Coventry City, and Hull City chasing the signature of the Southampton man, as per talkSPORT.

Football League World previously exclusively revealed that Premier League clubs were chasing his signature, and now they seem to have been named.

The once-capped England international was one of the standout performers from Southampton's charge towards the play-offs, and without him, they almost certainly would've found their task a lot more difficult.

A product of the Manchester City academy, Harwood-Bellis has spent time out on loan with the likes of Blackburn Rovers, Stoke City, and Burnley prior to his £20 million move to St Mary's in 2024, and now looks as though he could be on the move once again.

Football League World's Southampton fan pundit, Louis Harris, has shared their thoughts on Harwood-Bellis' links away, and whether they think the England international will move on from the Saints this summer.

Louis said: "Yeah, I think Harwood-Bellis is an obvious candidate for Premier League attention.

"I'd imagine he had aspirations of playing back in the Premier League, preferably with Southampton, I'd imagine. But yeah, a massive blow if we do lose him.

"He was excellent in the second-half of last season. I wouldn't be surprised if we see him go."

Indeed, alongside Jack Stephens or Nathan Wood more often than not, Harwood-Bellis stood out like a sore thumb, with his quality both on and off the ball making him one of, if not the best defenders in the Championship.

Taking into account he was capped by England just over a year ago, it's clear how highly he is rated, and it would be no surprise to see a flurry of bids come his way over the coming months.

Tonda Eckert will be desperate to keep Taylor Harwood-Bellis at Southampton amid recent off-field issues

Of course, the elephant in the room for Southampton is the recent 'spygate' scandal, which has dominated headlines over the past few weeks.

A junior employee was caught by someone from Middlesbrough, and from there, the ramifications have been most harshly felt by the Saints, who were expelled from the play-offs as a result, missing out on a place in the Premier League due to the orders of head coach Tonda Eckert.

Harwood-Bellis and his teammates have every right to feel aggrieved by the decision, with Eckert's decision completely out of their hands, yet they are the ones to suffer.

It would be no surprise to see him on the move this summer, and with interest only likely to ramp up over the coming weeks and months, Southampton's resolve will certainly be tested.