Southampton star should push for St Mary's exit - QPR might be interested | OneFootball

Ronnie Edwards has fallen out of favour at Southampton since Tonda Eckert replaced Will Still as head coach

It has been a rocky start to life back in the Championship for Southampton, who are now starting to show signs of life after their turbulent first few months of 2025-26.

Former Reims and Lens head coach Will Still was brought to the club over the summer to take over the reins at St Mary's following the dismissal of Croatian boss Ivan Juric and the club's relegation from the Premier League.

The Saints accumulated just 12 points across their most recent season in the top flight, barely beating Derby County's lowest-ever points tally of 11, and upon their return to the second tier, supporters of the club would have been optimistic of brighter days.

But Still lasted just 16 games in charge of the club, managing just four wins, including a dramatic late win in their opening fixture at home to Wrexham, as Southampton chose to give the club's Under-21 head coach Tonda Eckert the job on an interim basis.

But four wins in five meant that the club chose to appoint the 32-year-old German on a permanent basis, but with his appointment has come with the cost of Ronnie Edwards dropping out of the side, and with the January window approaching, a move away from the South Coast could be sanctioned for the former Peterborough man.

Having started just one of Southampton's opening six league games this season, Edwards emerged as a regular under Still during the latter stages of his tenure.

But following the dismissal of Still and the appointment of Eckert, Edwards has seen his game time drastically decrease, despite the German opting to play a three-at-the-back system.

Since Eckert's first game in charge, a 2-1 away victory over QPR, the 22-year-old has played just seven minutes of league football across two appearances, with each of Joshua Quarshie, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Nathan Wood, and Jack Stephens preferred over him.

At Peterborough, where he made 142 senior appearances across all competitions, Edwards gained a reputation as one of the best young defenders in the country, lauded for his ability on the ball.

A loan spell in the second half of last season with QPR earned him rave reviews, winning the side's Young Player of the Year award, with the R's trying but failing to bring him back to the club over the summer.

Edwards will likely be unsatisfied with being fifth-choice centre-back under Eckert, and with the January window just two weeks away, he may well push for a move away from St Mary's.

Despite Edwards having played under Marti Cifuentes during his time with QPR, this did not stop the R's or Julien Stephan from trying to bring him back to the club over the summer.

Jake Clarke-Salter had spent the vast majority of the season out injured before his recent return to the side, leaving Amadou Mbengue, Steve Cook, Liam Morrison, and Jimmy Dunne all fighting for a place in the heart of defence, with the latter recently moving back to his natural position as opposed to playing in the right-back role that he adopted from last season.

Indeed, Edwards is more than capable of playing as a right-back too, though he is more comfortable at centre-back, and his addition would have almost certainly helped out Stephan.

QPR may well revisit a deal for Edwards this January, with another loan move being the most likely option, given they have used up just one of their loan spots this season on Rhys Norrington-Davies.

The R's currently sit just above Southampton in the table after 21 games, with both sides harnessing real ambition of a top six finish this season, and whether Saints would be willing to help a direct rival remains to be seen.

However, Edwards will no doubt be dissatisfied with his current situation on the South Coast, and for the second year in a row, may try and angle for an escape route out of Southampton this January.