Southampton man is "itching to play in the Premier League" as top-flight clubs circle | OneFootball

Southampton's Taylor Harwood-Bellis has attracted interest from Premier League clubs this month

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Southampton centre-back Taylor Harwood-Bellis has been linked with a Premier League switch this window, although there is growing optimism that he will remain at St Mary's beyond this winter.

Southampton have had a difficult 18 months, amassing just 12 points in the Premier League, narrowly beating Derby County's unwanted record on their way to relegation, and upon their return to the second tier, have struggled to adapt.

Will Still's tenure lasted just 16 matches, with the Englishman winning just four of his games in charge with the club as the Saints languished narrowly above the relegation zone.

The clubs Under-21's boss, Tonda Eckert, was promoted to the first-team on an initial interim basis before being given the job permanently after a good run of form.

However, the wheels have somewhat come off once again on the South Coast, as Southampton sit some way off the play-off picture.

To make matters worse, FLW exclusively revealed on Wednesday that Premier League clubs were generating interest in their star defender, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, though it is not the expectation that the once-capped England international will leave the club this month.

Should Saints not achieve promotion, the 23-year-old will likely leave St Mary's this summer, as Premier League interest hots up.

Taylor Harwood Bellis is believed to be likely to leave Southampton in the summer if the Saints fail to be promoted

Football League World's Southampton fan pundit, Martin, has shared their thoughts on Harwood-Bellis' situation, and whether they think that he will leave the club during the summer if Saints don't earn promotion.

Martin said: "In regard to Taylor, I'm not surprised. He's an England Under-21 captain and international. He comes from one of the best academies in Britain, hasn't he? So he's a top player."He's had his moments at Saints, but that's usually coincided with the team being poor. He's been one of our best defenders since Eckert took charge, so I think he'll go and play in the Premier League."He's got a long way to go, but he's still young as well, isn't he? He's going to get better as a player, and he will generate interest in the summer. I don't think he'll go now, but I do think he will if Saints don't go up."He'll be itching to play in the Premier League, and I think at the right club, under the right manager, he could go and do well. Like I say, he's a young boy, so I wish him all the best."

Southampton will be targeting the play-offs after a disappointing first half of the campaign

Despite their disappointing campaign thus far, the top six is not a million miles away from Southampton.

The Saints showed glimpses of what they are capable of shortly after Eckert was appointed, scoring five in the first half away at Charlton Athletic, with victories over the likes of QPR, Leicester City, and Birmingham City, too.

However, a run of just one win in eight followed their rich vein of form, piling pressure on Eckert to turn things around after such a promising start.

With the likes of Tom Fellows, Leo Scienza, Adam Armstrong, and Finn Azaz at their disposal in attacking areas, backed up with the likes of Shea Charles, Flynn Downes, and Caspar Jander in midfield, solidified by Harwood-Bellis, Nathan Wood, and Joshua Quarshie in defence, the consensus that they should be much higher in the table is a strong one.

With the Championship proving to have numerous twists and turns in it's locker, Southampton cannot be ruled out just yet, though keeping hold of Harwood-Bellis this month will be imperative to those efforts.

Should they not earn promotion, it is highly unlikely that the Manchester City academy product will stick around in the second tier for another year, so if he is to remain on the South Coast next campaign, Southampton's objective is clear.