Southampton can’t risk Nathan Tella 2.0 as Tonda Eckert sanctions new exit | OneFootball

Southampton can't risk a repeat of the Nathan Tella situation with Jay Robinson's exit

Southampton are targeting promotion to the Premier League in 2026/27 after ending the previous campaign with a strong run of form.

The Saints earned a place in the play-off final, but never got to enjoy their trip to Wembley Stadium as they were expelled from the competition.

The Hampshire outfit were found guilty of breaching the EFL’s rules against spying on training opposition, which ended their hopes of an immediate return to the Premier League.

But Tonda Eckert will still be hopeful he can guide the club to another play-off place, at the very least, in the upcoming campaign.

While the club will be starting behind everyone due to a four-point deduction penalty, there is a lot of optimism at St. Mary’s for the year ahead.

It’s been a relatively busy summer so far for Southampton, who have seen Lewis Dobbin and George Long sign, as well as Daniel Peretz and Cyle Larin return on permanent transfers. In terms of departures, the most notable player to have left is Ross Stewart, joining Swansea City as a free agent. Eckert continues to look to build a team ready for a promotion push next season.

Southampton can’t risk Nathan Tella situation repeat

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Southampton have also agreed to loan out Jay Robinson to Italian side Monza as part of their summer business.

The 19-year-old made 26 appearances in the Championship last season, including seven starts, and will now be targeting regular game time in order to gain valuable experience.

The youngster showed a lot of promise, and even contributed two goals and one assist for the Saints to aid their promotion push.

But the club have decided that he will be better off competing with Monza, and they have to avoid the risk of this turning into a similar situation as Nathan Tella.

Tella went on loan to Burnley in 2022, and helped the Clarets gain promotion to the Premier League under Vincent Kompany.

The Nigeria international developed superbly at Turf Moor, but it only led to him attracting permanent transfer interest upon his return to St. Mary’s in the summer of 2023, after Saints' untimely relegation back into the EFL.

Southampton eventually cashed in, and Tella signed for Bayer Leverkusen, where he helped the German club finally win the Bundesliga title under Xabi Alonso.

While the Saints will want Robinson to improve at Monza, they won’t want him to end up progressing beyond where Southampton are as a club and wanting a move away from the club in 12 months’ time.

Of course, with the likes of Finn Azaz, Leo Scienza, Kuryu Matsuki, Lewis Dobbin and Tom Fellows to choose from in attack, Robinson was always likely to miss out or struggle for minutes. In that respect, this loan does make sense.

However, it is only by keeping younger players at the club that you can ensure they will develop, and Robinson showed last season he had what it takes to compete in the Championship. By not having him under a very close watch, they are losing elements of control.

Southampton are taking a risk with Jay Robinson loan

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Robinson’s development is now being entrusted with Monza, and their incentive to play him is completely different than at Southampton.

If he does well, it could draw transfer attention from major clubs as he will be competing in Serie A. But if he struggles to perform, then he will be given inconsistent game time, so the Saints are taking a risk in loaning out a player with his potential.

Looking back on that previous mistake, Tella is someone that likely could’ve been used by Southampton during 2022/23, a year in which the club suffered relegation from the Premier League.

By the time he returned, the forward was ready for top flight football and this led to his move to the Bundesliga; he'd outgrown Southampton at a rapid pace.

Tella had a strong campaign with the Clarets, registering combined expected goals and expected assists (xG+xA) of 0.47 per 90 (FotMob). He was essentially involved in a goal every other game in a brilliant individual campaign.

The forward contributed 17 goals and five assists, while also taking 2.58 shots per game and creating 1.11 chances.

Tella could’ve helped Ralph Hassenhuttl’s side in their relegation battle, as Robinson could in this season's promotion quest. The big risk is that he excels in Italy and Southampton, from their disadvantaged position, don't win promotion. If that's the case, it might well be that Robinson's career trajectory is ahead of Saints by the time the summer of 2027 comes around.