Southampton FC’s 45-signing gamble laid bare by Taylor Harwood-Bellis’ unlikely milestone | OneFootball

Taylor Harwood-Bellis became the first Saints player bought by the current ownership to score 10 goals

There haven't been too many highlights at Southampton since Sport Republic took over in January 2022, both on and off the field.

Tonda Eckert currently has his Saints side on the periphery of the play-offs and in some incredible form, which is a massive turnaround from the disastrous start they had under Will Still, winning just two of their opening 13 games and sitting fourth bottom.

Eckert is just the second permanent manager under the current ownership to have won more than two games in charge at St Mary's, with Still, Nathan Jones, Simon Rusk and Ivan Juric all winning two or fewer, and they'll be hoping that he can replicate Russell Martin's managerial success in the Championship by getting in and winning the play-offs.

Currently, they're the side that those in the top six are looking nervously over their shoulders at, having gone unbeaten in eight league games and winning five of their last six, including a 3-1 win at already-relegated Sheffield Wednesday last Saturday.

Another big win in their play-off charge, and one that sees them remain four points adrift of Wrexham in sixth. However, the goalscorers in the win at Hillsborough saw a rather ugly Saints stat rear its head.

Taylor Harwood-Bellis became the first Sport Republic signing to score 10 goals at Southampton

Sheffield Wednesday threatened a comeback at Hillsborough through Jerry Yates midway through the second half, but Southampton restored their two-goal cushion with 20 minutes to go when Taylor Harwood-Bellis bundled in a poorly-defended corner.

In doing so, the 24-year-old centre-back netted his fifth of the campaign and his 10th for the club since he made the move from Manchester City on an initial loan deal in 2023.

After the match, though, it was revealed that Harwood-Bellis became the first man signed under Sport Republic's ownership to hit double-digit goals whilst at the club, which just highlights the poor recruitment, as late.

First, there have been 45 new players signed since the takeover four years ago, including record-signing Kamaldeen Sulemana, along with the likes of Paul Onuachu, Sam Edozie, Sekou Mara, Ross Stewart, Cameron Archer and Ben Brereton Diaz in attacking areas.

So, for it to have taken four years for someone to score in double figures is bad enough, let alone that someone be a centre-back!

There have been numerous transfer flops at Southampton over the past few years, especially during their Premier League seasons, where a lot of money has been thrown at trying to stay in the division, only for there to have been a total of eight wins in their last two campaigns.

And this milestone only goes to hammer that sentiment home even further.

Sport Republic need to learn from recent transfer mistakes if Southampton are to return to their Premier League past

Granted, Sport Republic has seemed to have gotten some transfers right in the past year. Finn Azaz is one goal from joining Harwood-Bellis on 10 for the club, Leo Scienza has been one of the most exciting players in the division this season, and January goalkeeper arrival Daniel Peretz has been solid thus far.

Also amongst those have been the signings of Damion Downes, who has since been sent out on loan to Hamburg and Tom Fellows, who has been underwhelming compared to last season's exploits at West Brom, but you can't have 10/10 transfer windows all the time, and this year arguably resembles the best in terms of dealings under the current ownership at St Mary's.

However, if Tonda Eckert does end up getting Southampton back in the Premier League, they need to learn from their past mistakes and bring in players well-suited to keep the club in the top flight, as their last two attempts have been pitiful at best.

That has ultimately led to some depressing atmospheres at the club, and with the good feeling starting to creep back in again at St Mary's, Sport Republic would be wise to capitalise on it.

Signing someone who could find the back of the net regularly would go a long way towards keeping positivity high, and would stop stats like these becoming the norm.