Southampton may have made huge mistake - QPR could be laughing loudest | OneFootball

Ronnie Edwards still has plenty of time left to fulfil his potential

Southampton and Queens Park Rangers are amongst a clutch of sides vying for supremacy in the race for a Championship play-off spot this term, and the two clubs' respective transfer activity between now and February 2nd could play a huge part in determining said fortunes.

Despite being tipped to mount a sustained promotion bid before a ball was kicked, Saints' return to the second tier hasn't gone anywhere near as planned, with their fourth permanent boss in 13 months, Tonda Eckert, also seeing the strong run of form which Saints enjoyed throughout a 'honeymoon' period diminish at the turn of 2026.

Meanwhile, it has been an inconsistent, yet at the same time, somewhat progressive first six months in charge of the West London outfit for Julien Stephan, who is looking to draw upon his previous domestic and European experiences with Stade Rennais and RC Strasbourg to help Rangers progress up the Championship table after years of stagnation.

At present, it is the Hoops who currently reside closer to the top six after the first 26 games of the league campaign, as they are just five places and three points behind Watford in sixth, whilst the Hampshire outfit are a further four places behind Rangers, having accumulated just 33 points thus far - the lowest total out of the three sides who were relegated from the Premier League.

It was, of course, a summer of change at both clubs, with such feats continuing well into the season for Southampton as Will Still was replaced by the aforementioned Eckert in November.

Stephan was able to recruit 11 new players across his maiden transfer window at Loftus Road, whilst Saints attempted to reshape their squad with nine additions.

Yet, whilst the St. Mary's side were successful in thwarting Rangers from reuniting with former loan favourite, Ronnie Edwards, in the previous window, it is fair to say it is the capital club who could be sitting on a future goldmine after eventually landing the 22-year-old's signature on a permanent basis.

Ronnie Edwards has always been highly-rated despite Southampton FC struggles

Despite his struggles for regular gametime with the South Coast side, that hasn't tarnished Edwards' reputation, which, in particular, grew from strength to strength during a four-year stint at Peterborough United after initially signing from Barnet in the summer of 2020 at just 17 years of age.

Although he would rarely feature for Posh during their 2020/21 promotion-winning season from League One to the Championship under Darren Ferguson, Edwards started to showcase his extremely high potential in the second tier in 2021/22, and was a beacon of light in an otherwise frustrating campaign for the Cambridgeshire outfit.

The man who scooped four individual awards then became Posh's latest in a long line of prized assets that could have been sold for as much as eight-figures, with vocal owner, Darragh MacAnthony, unafraid to drop claims on the defender as the likes of Crystal Palace began to circle at the start of 2024.

Indeed, the Irishman had this to say on Southampton's eventual move for the defender in 2024 that came in at a £3m figure, which many viewed as a steal.

“I’d rather sell players when we are in the Championship than in League One because they will go for more and believe me Ronnie would have gone for five times as much had he been 6ft 3in as Premier League clubs are obsessed with height." he said.

“I will chuckle to myself in three years' time when Ronnie has proved himself. Southampton manager Russell Martin is intelligent enough to play Ronnie, and he is ready for the Premier League.”

Unfortunately for Martin, he would only be able to play Edwards once in the Premier League before he was dismissed 13 months ago, with Rangers then striking a loan deal which saw the two-time England Under-21 international become an impressive figure under Marti Cifuentes, even looking as composed as ever when called upon in a defensive midfield role against Swansea City last April.

Queens Park Rangers will hope to cause major Southampton FC, Ronnie Edwards regret after £4.5m transfer

It has been well-documented that Saints have made an initial profit on Edwards' services, with Rangers parting with a reported £4.5m to land his signature on a long-term deal.

Given the fact he only made 16 appearances for Saints, some supporters will see this as a shrewd piece of business. However, at just 22, there is plenty of time for Edwards to fulfil his potential in W12.

Even more so, Stephan, who courted the defender's services with such conviction in the summer, has a proven track record of developing some of the world's best young talents, such as Desire Doue and Ousmane Dembélé, who featured under the 45-year-old at Rennes.

As such, the Hoops will hope it is eventually themselves who will be making an eight-figure profit on the Harlow native's services in the years to come, whilst in the short-term, Edwards will certainly help shore up what has, at times, been a shaky rearguard in West London.