2 players who could follow Lewis Dobbin to Southampton | OneFootball

Southampton are closing in on the signing of Lewis Dobbin from Aston Villa, and here we look at two more new faces who could arrive at St. Mary's.

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Chris is a freelance writer for Football League World. Graduating from Leeds Trinity University, Chris has been part of the FLW team since 2017 and has produced thousands of articles.

Primarily covering the Championship, Chris has attended West Brom and Birmingham City matches over the years to provide detailed match reports and sitting in on press conferences.

He is part of the team that covers all the latest news from the Football League, as well as sharing in-depth opinion pieces and longer-form features. Chris also part of the editing team at FLW.

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Southampton have already had a hectic summer as the fallout from ‘Spygate’ continued to dominate the headlines, which ultimately cost them a shot at promotion last season.

Despite that, the club kept faith with Tonda Eckert, and whilst they will start the 2026/27 campaign with a four-point deduction, there will be a belief that Saints can win promotion.

However, to do that, Southampton will need a productive window, and they have made a positive start on that front, securing deals for Daniel Peretz and Cyle Larin after their excellent loan spells.

And, in a further coup for the south coast outfit, they are closing in on a £9m deal for Lewis Dobbin from Aston Villa.

The versatile attacker scored ten goals and registered eight assists in a very productive loan spell with Preston last season, and that put a host of clubs on his radar in the window, including Wolves.

Yet, Saints have won the race for his signature, and Eckert will no doubt see Dobbin as a big player in what he hopes will be a promotion push this season.

It’s also the sort of signing that makes Southampton an attractive option to other players, and here we look at TWO more who could arrive at St. Mary’s Stadium…

Elijah Just

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The Motherwell attacker has been linked with a move to Southampton, and it would be a fantastic bit of business for Saints if they could bring Just to the club.

The 26-year-old was unknown to fans in the UK prior to his move to the Scottish Premiership side, but he was outstanding for the Steelmen, scoring seven goals and recording the same number of assists as Motherwell finished in the European places.

But, it wasn’t just the end product, as Just emerged as a key cog in Jens Berthel Askou’s side, who were widely regarded as the best football team in the country despite their limited resources.

Just was central to that, with his movement and intelligence making him so hard to pick up, and that’s why you could see him flourishing in Eckert’s system.

The New Zealand international took that form into the World Cup, and whilst his country were eliminated in the group stages, Just scored three in three, to further increase his profile.

So, he will have admirers from across the globe, but Just could fit in various attacking positions for Saints, and he is the sort of signing that Eckert should be pushing to bring in, particularly if the classy Leo Scienza moves on this summer.

Will Lankshear

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Even though Larin has joined Southampton, Ross Stewart’s exit means Eckert will be demanding at least one striker is signed, and Saints, along with Sporting CP and Wolves, have been in for Tottenham’s Will Lankshear.

So far, Spurs have resisted interest in their young striker, but it wouldn’t be a major shock if that stance changed later in the window, as, whether it’s a loan or a permanent move, Lankshear would benefit from playing regularly.

And, the 21-year-old is certainly worth the wait from Saints’ perspective, as he would be the ideal focal point for Eckert’s side, and the perfect replacement for Stewart.

Lankshear scored 11 times for Oxford last season, which was a breakout season for the player, and you could see his all-round game improve as the campaign progressed.

The England youth international is excellent with his back to goal, he can occupy defenders, and that physicality would be the perfect platform for other attackers to do well.

Saints, he could become one of the top strikers in the Championship.