Sam Edozie 'problem' raised after Southampton FC transfer development | OneFootball

FLW's Southampton fan pundit reacts to Sam Edozie's public transfer request, which didn't materialise

Samuel Edozie is still part of Southampton's squad following the closure of the transfer window, despite the 23-year-old making his transfer request public on deadline day.

The winger has been the subject of interest over the past year from clubs such as RB Salzburg, Lecce and fellow Championship side Cardiff City, the latter of which he rejected, according to reports.

In a now-deleted post on his Instagram, Edozie stated that he was looking for regular football at this stage in his career, and that unreasonable demands from Southampton, mainly surrounding a future fee clause of 50%, were blocking him from moving.

A move didn't materialise, despite the public request, and now the 23-year-old is set to remain on the South Coast until January at the earliest. He came off the bench to play 27 minutes at Lincoln City on Saturday in what was his longest league appearance of the season so far.

Southampton fan pundit reacts to Sam Edozie transfer saga

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Edozie played fewer than 300 league minutes for Southampton last season. He didn't feature at all under Will Still, and started just two of the final 16 games after being recalled to the squad under Tonda Eckert in February.

The former Manchester City man feels he needs regular game time to help get his career back on track, and in that sense, FLW's Saints fan pundit, Louis Harris, can understand why he submitted the transfer request.

"With Edozie, yes, I understand his frustration," he said. " I like him; I think he's a really good squad player. He's tricky and a fantastic squad player to have.

"The problem with him is that his final product has never really been there. He can take full-backs on with his eyes closed if he wanted to, but his end product is missing, and that's probably why he hasn't got the minutes he wanted.

"So I can understand his frustration, but from what I've read, it sounds like he's had opportunities to go elsewhere and he's rejected them."

With Edozie still in Eckert's plans, the fan pundit hopes that the 23-year-old can find that potency in front of goal, as that could lead him to change his stance on an exit before January.

"For the meantime, until January, we've got to make the most of him from a squad point of view," he continued. "If he is able to sort out his final product, I'm sure he'll have a better shout for first-team minutes."

How Tonda Eckert reacted to Sam Edozie transfer situation

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While no club will want a transfer request to be let out in the public as Edozie's was, the route back to the first team following deadline day hasn't been convoluted at all for the wideman. As mentioned, he was back in the squad at Sincil Bank.

Reacting to the situation, Tonda Eckert appreciated that the 23-year-old was in search of minutes, appreciated his honesty throughout pre-season, but was reassured that, while he's at the club, he'll be doing his best to help the club push for the end goal of promotion.

"Sammy has been very honest, and our relationship is very good," Eckert said. He has been very honest from the first day of pre-season that he wants more minutes.

"At the same time, it was always clear that he has a full commitment to helping us reach our goals. That commitment stands.

"Obviously he's 23 years old; there's a lot of noise towards the last days of the window. I don't know if that is for me to judge. I wouldn't have recommended putting a statement out, but it is what it is.

"What is important for me is that he's fully committed to the group and fully committed to us, and we've had that conversation yesterday. I have no doubt that he will play an important role for us as a team."

Sam Edozie will have a lot to prove to Southampton fans between now and January

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Football fans are often tribalistic, and will never accept a player who goes above the club to try and further their own career. Some Southampton supporters won't have reacted positively to Edozie's statement, and he'll have some making up to do now that he's still at St Mary's.

The 23-year-old has lost his way massively since being part of the Saints side under Russell Martin, who won promotion from the Championship in 2023/24. That season, he registered nine goal contributions in just 16 starts.

A loan spell at Club Brugge for the 2024/25 term didn't help progress his career, and he's struggled for minutes upon his return, with many believing that his status as more of a squad player was warranted.

Simply, Edozie will need to go out and prove to the Saints fans that he's worthy of starting games between now and January, whether that be at the club or elsewhere, come the end of the winter window.

Southampton's demands for a sale.