Southampton star set to leave in 2027 - Birmingham City & Millwall must pounce | OneFootball

Samuel Edozie's contract with Southampton is set to expire next summer, as Birmingham and Milwall should prepare moves

Southampton are looking like strong contenders for an automatic promotion place in the early stages of this season, and can boast one of the most exciting attacking thirds the division can offer.

Southampton head into the international break off the back of a 2-1 defeat away to Wrexham, but spirits should still be high around St Mary's nevertheless.

The Saints have crawled their way back from -4 points to 10 points with four wins, two draws, and two defeats after eight league games, and had they not had that point deduction, they would be sitting in 4th above Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Bromwich Albion.

With Leo Scienza, Cyle Larin, Tom Fellows, Finn Azaz, Lewis Dobbin, Divin Mubama, and Samuel Edozie as options in the final third, Eckert is spoilt for choice, though the German head coach clearly has his favourites, and as a result, some have received fewer minutes than others.

Why Championship clubs will be interested in signing Southampton's Samuel Edozie on a free transfer next summer

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Edozie, 23, joined Southampton from Manchester City in the summer of 2022 for up to £10 million, but since his arrival in Hampshire, he has found minutes particularly difficult to come by.

Of his 87 appearances for the Saints, only 29 of those have come as starts, with the former Manchester City youth product having never been able to announce himself as a starting option under various coaches at St Mary's.

The winger attempted to force through a move late in the summer window after taking matters into his own hands, announcing his intentions to leave the club via Instagram, with the Saints having rejected bids from Austrian side RB Salzburg and Italian side Lecce worth around £4 million plus sell-on clauses previously.

As it happened, Edozie has remained at Southampton and has not seen a noticeable increase in minutes, and now, unless something big changes within the next nine months or so, the 23-year-old will leave the club on a free transfer, as Football League World has taken a look at two Championship clubs that must be alert to his situation this summer.

Birmingham City

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Birmingham City have undergone a slight change in approach this season, as Chris Davies has looked to make his side increasingly difficult to beat, to the detriment of some attacking prowess, reflected in their two wins, five draws, and just one defeat in the Championship thus far.

Birmingham can boast some of the best wide attacking options in the division, with the likes of Carlos Vicente, Patrick Roberts, Demarai Gray, and Liam Millar battling it out for a place on either flank in Davies' starting XI this season.

Millar joined on loan from Hull City late in the window, and with one goal and three assists in four games already, has taken his game to the next level upon his switch from the Tigers.

Blues' chances of securing a permanent deal for the Canadian at this stage remain doubtful, and in the event of his departure, they will need to source a replacement from elsewhere, as Southampton's Edozie could be the perfect fit.

At 23, Edozie has yet to find a real home where he can make a name for himself and earn valuable minutes, and with Gray, now 30, not getting any younger, taking a gamble on someone like the Southampton man could be one that could pay off and then some for the Blues.

Birmingham have not been afraid to splash the cash in recent years, but now should be on the hunt for coups in the window, as Edozie should be a gamble they seriously consider taking next summer, regardless of what division they find themselves in.

Millwall

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Millwall have looked strong once again to begin the new campaign, and had it not been for injuries, a place in the top eight heading into the international break would almost certainly have been theirs.

The likes of Lukas Jensen, Tristan Crama, Casper De Norre, Josh Coburn, and Mihailo Ivanovic, to name a handful, have all missed large portions of the campaign already, and adding the late departure of Femi Azeez on top of that, the Lions have done well to remain in contention for play-off space at this stage of the season.

Alex Neil can boast the likes of Romain Esse, Camiel Neghli, Mark Sykes, and Kyrell Lisbie in wide areas, though with Esse only returning to the club on loan from Crystal Palace, a longer-term option must be found next summer.

Edozie spent time in Millwall's academy as a youngster before joining Manchester City's youth setup in 2019, having never made a senior appearance for the Lions prior to his departure.

Set to be a free agent in the summer, a return to The Den in the summer could be a match made in heaven for Edozie, returning to a place he will already be familiar with, and regardless of what division they are in, expect to earn a lot of minutes.