Southampton FC regretted beating Leeds United, Newcastle to €13m transfer - Saints blushes were spared | OneFootball

Southampton FC beat Leeds United and Newcastle United to the signing of Sekou Mara.

Southampton fended off competition from Leeds United to strike a deal with French side Bordeaux for the signing of then-19-year-old forward Sekou Mara, but they will be wishing they had lost the battle for his signature.

Having finished 15th in the Premier League in the 2021/22 season under former manager Ralph Hasenhuttl, Southampton were in desperate need of a squad overhaul to avoid another relegation battle the following season.

In came the likes of Romeo Lavia, Sam Edozie, Juan Larios and Gavin Bazunu from Manchester City, Armel Bella-Kotchap from VFL Bochum, Joe Aribo from Rangers and Mara, who signed in a deal worth €13 million from Bordeaux.

The Saints fended off interest from both Leeds United, who made an enquiry earlier in the window over Mara's availability, and Newcastle United, who turned their attentions to Mara, having lost out on a move for Hugo Ekitike, not for the last time, in 2022.

Saints fans were excited over the signing of Mara, but what would follow would leave them deeply underwhelmed.

Southampton signed Sekou Mara amid Leeds United and Newcastle United interest

Having signed nearly £100 million worth of players in the summer of 2022, Southampton fans were understandably hoping for a much stronger season than last under Hasenhuttl.

However, the Austrian would last just a couple of months into the season before being replaced by Nathan Jones, who himself lasted less than a few months before being replaced by Ruben Selles as the Saints finished rock-bottom of the Premier League.

Mara would contribute little in his first season on the South Coast, playing just 542 minutes of Premier League action, scoring once and assisting twice in 22 appearances, largely from the bench.

The Frenchman had to compete for game time in attacking positions with the likes of Adam Armstrong, Moussa Djenepo, Che Adams, Mohamed Elyounoussi, Theo Walcott and Samuel Edozie, which ultimately limited his time on the pitch in the English top flight.

The January reinforcements of Paul Onuachu, Mislav Orsic and Kamaldeen Sulemena also pushed Mara further away from a starting position at St Mary's, and the next season in the Championship didn't prove to be any better for Mara.

With Russell Martin now at the helm, Mara still couldn't find a consistent place in the starting eleven, playing just 547 minutes of Championship football all season, scoring three times and grabbing two assists in 28 appearances, again, largely from the bench.

The incomings of David Brooks and Ryan Fraser meant Mara still couldn't nail down a place in the second tier for the club, as Southampton earned promotion to the Premier League, defeating Leeds in the play-off final, with Mara contributing little to the Saints' success that season.

Upon their return to the top flight, Mara was moved on quickly, heading back to France to sign for Strasbourg for a fee of around £10.2 million, at only a minor loss, much to their relief.

Sekou Mara has yet to live up to his early potential

Since moving back to France last summer, the 23-year-old has failed to get his career back on track as yet.

Last season, Mara made 25 appearances in Ligue 1 for Strasbourg, scoring once and assisting once, yet again largely as a substitute.

With Strasbourg having qualified for the Europa Conference League this season, Mara was loaned out to Auxerre before the window deadline, where he has started twice and come on as a substitute once in his opening three games for the club, without grabbing a goal contribution.

Having never played more than 1000 minutes in a single season since his professional debut in February 2021, Mara must begin to play regularly if he is to ever fulfil his earlier potential, which saw him feature regularly for the French youth teams.

It would be safe to say that his time at St Mary's didn't go to plan, but having only made a minor loss on the forward, Saints fans won't lose sleep over the Mara saga.