Southampton urged to strike £15m Coventry City transfer - he's "everything that Will Still needs" | OneFootball

Our Southampton fan pundit has reacted to the FLW Exclusive news that Coventry have put a £15 million price tag on the head of midfielder Jack Rudoni.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Southampton got their Championship season off to a winning start this past weekend with a late 2-1 win against Wrexham at St Mary's, but it's likely that their squad will face further changes before the transfer window closes at the end of the month.

The Saints have some exciting young players among their ranks, including Tyler Dibling and Mateus Fernandes, who are subject to interest from Premier League clubs, but they've also been linked with bringing in talent from elsewhere.

One player linked with a possible move to St Mary's is Coventry City's Jack Rudoni, who has earned many plaudits since joining the club from Huddersfield Town last year.

As per a recent FLW exclusive, the Sky Blues have put a £15 million price-tag on the midfielder which may be intended to deter clubs from bidding for him, but as per Mike McGrath of The Telegraph, as of Tuesday night talks were still going on between the two clubs in an attempt to get a deal done.

Doubts raised over whether Jack Rudoni would leave Coventry City for Southampton

Football League World's Southampton fan pundit. Martin Sanders, was asked about the reported price-tag of Coventry's key playmaker, with it previously having been reported that the Sky Blues had already rejected one offer for the player, and he thinks that the Saints hierarchy should go all out to securing a deal for Cov's number five.

"It's a lot of money, but if we're going to get £50 million for Tyler Dibling..." Martin told FLW.

"He's going to be a top, top player, Jack. I think he's a brilliant ball-carrier. He's creative, he's got a lovely touch, he's young, he's vibrant, he's everything that Will Still needs at the moment."

However, Martin isn't convinced that Southampton will get the fees that they're reported to be demanding for two of their young stars in Dibling and Fernandes, and that could end up affecting the size of their transfer budget for the rest of the window.

"Tyler Dibling could still end up staying at Southampton if they can't offload him," Martin added.

"Saints are putting massive price-tags on players. They've done that with Tyler, they've done with Mateus. I'm not convinced they're going to get what they want for those two"

"For me, Rudoni… what a player he is!

"I'd love to see him come to the Saints but I thought he'd be high in the Premier League because he looks like a player who's getting ready to make that step next, so would he go to a Championship rival?"

Jack Rudoni may not want to make a sideways move after his excellent 2024-25 season

Jack Rudoni had an outstanding 2024-25 season with Coventry City, and such form may tempt Premier League clubs to have a closer look at the player before the end of the summer 2025 transfer window.

With Premier League parachute money behind them, Southampton could afford to match Coventry's asking price for him, but that doesn't mean that the player will want to leave the club to make a sideways step.

Southampton are in a similar position to Coventry in some respects, with players such as Tyler Dibling and Mateus Fernandes attracting a lot of interest from elsewhere.

Dibling missed the Wrexham match altogether, with Will Still telling ITV Sport, as reported by The Athletic, that he was “not in a headspace” to play, while Fernandes started on the bench and only came on with an hour played.

And just as the Saints can put any price-tag on their coveted young players' heads, so can Coventry with Jack Rudoni. But even if they tempted Coventry with an offer close to their valuation, that certainly doesn't mean that the player will want the move himself.