Southampton's own Aleksandar Mitrovic? Big Ross Stewart decision needs to be made | OneFootball

Ross Stewart's contract is due to expire at the end of the season

It’s been far from an ideal season upon their return to the Championship for Southampton, though they remain within touching distance of the top six despite their 1-1 draw at home to Charlton at the weekend.

Having suffered a humiliating relegation from the Premier League last campaign, narrowly beating Derby County’s record for the lowest-ever points tally, Southampton chose Will Still to be the person to guide them to glory in the second tier.

Still had found success in France as head coach of both Reims and Lens, and returned to his native England to take on his first top job in the country with Southampton.

However, after just four wins in 16 games, Still was dismissed and replaced by German Under-21’s coach Tonda Eckert, initially on an interim basis, before being made permanent after a positive run of form upon taking the reins.

His installation in the St Mary’s dugout has coincided with a meteoric rise up the table, putting the Saints well within the hunt for a play-off place.

The return of an injured star, who leads Aleksander Mitrovic in a key Championship goalscoring statistic, has also coincided with their recent success. Before too long, the club will have to make a decision over whether to offer him fresh terms or not, with his current deal set to expire in the summer.

Ross Stewart leads Aleksander Mitrovic in key goalscoring statistic but is yet to be tied down to fresh Southampton terms

It’s been a difficult few years for Ross Stewart, who has been dealt numerous injury blows throughout that time.

Having initially signed for Sunderland in League One from Scottish side Ross County, Stewart lit up the English third tier for the Black Cats before continuing his goalscoring exploits in the Championship following their promotion. He’d score goals and grab three assists in 13 league games before picking up an Achilles heel injury in January 2023, ruling him out for the rest of the season.

This didn’t stop Southampton from signing the man dubbed the ‘Loch Ness Drogba’ for a fee worth £12 million, including add-ons the following summer, though unfortunately for the Saints, they have seen little of the striker since his arrival two-and-a-half years ago.

Stewart made just four appearances in his first season on the South Coast due to a muscle injury, and then just 12 appearances the following campaign as the Saints were relegated from the Premier League, with a hamstring injury keeping him out of action this time around.

With his fitness still a concern, Stewart began this campaign as the fourth choice, behind each of Damion Downs, Adam Armstrong, and Cameron Archer, before yet another hamstring injury kept him out for a further three months, before returning to action at the beginning of January.

Since then, Stewart has scored three and assisted two, though has yet to complete a full game, with his fitness still a major concern.

Out of contract at the end of this season, Stewart has yet to sign fresh terms at St Mary’s, but has gone on record stating his desire to remain with the club.

Insanely, only former Watford and Manchester United striker Odion Ighalo has a better fewest minutes per goal rate in Championship history (10+ goals scored), ahead of the likes of Aleksandar Mitrovic and Ivan Toney, with those pair having hit 43 and 33 league goals in a single season for Fulham and Brentford, respectively.

There is no doubting Stewart’s quality in front of goal; the only concern hanging over him is his abysmal injury record in the past few years. If he had remained fit for the past couple of seasons, the likelihood of him playing at a level above the Championship right now is extremely high, given this record.

Southampton will no doubt be weighing up all the pros and cons before offering him a new deal. If they could guarantee his fitness, then there’s little doubt what their decision on Stewart, who is due to turn 30 this summer, would be.

Southampton must consider offering Ross Stewart fresh terms

With Southampton undergoing a big upturn in performances and results under Eckert, there is no doubt that Stewart has played a big role in that success.

Both Armstrong and Downs left the club in January, whilst Archer remains heavily out of favour, with his proposed move to Rangers having fallen through late on.

Canadian striker Cyle Larin was brought in on loan from Spanish side Mallorca until the end of the season to add competition, but it looks like Stewart remains ahead of him in the pecking order for now.

Eckert will be praying that Stewart can maintain his fitness until the end of the season and help Southampton achieve an immediate return to the Premier League, where, at that point, he may well be offered a new deal to stay with the club.