The 6 Southampton players set to leave St Mary's in 2026 ft £70k-a-week midfielder | OneFootball

FLW has looked at the players currently set to leave Southampton at the end of the season

It has been an inconsistent start to the season for Southampton, with many tipping the South Coast side to mount an immediate promotion bid following their relegation from the Premier League last term.

The Saints endured, statistically, the second-worst campaign in the 33 years of the modern-day top-flight, accumulating a mere 12 points under Russell Martin and Ivan Juric.

As such, the appointment of Will Still in May pointed towards a long-term project at St Mary's, albeit the expectation of promotion very much remains when assessing the squad of players at the 32-year-old's disposal.

That is despite the fact that several high-profile names such as Aaron Ramsdale, Kyle Walker-Peters, Tyler Dibling and Mateus Fernandes all departed the club in the summer window.

It remains to be seen what can be achieved by Saints in the remainder of the season, although the Championship table is still very much congested.

However, FLW has decided to look at the six Southampton players who have question marks over their long-term futures post-June 2026.

Joe Aribo

Joe Aribo was signed from Rangers in a deal which could have risen as high as £10m in July 2022.

However, as he reaches the final months of his four-year contract, it seems highly unlikely the Nigerian, who scored in the 2022 UEFA Europa League final for the Light Blues will don Saints' red and white stripes ever again.

After an underwhelming collective and individual season, Aribo was the subject of transfer interest from Besiktas in the summer, after being omitted from Saints' matchday squad for the season opener against Wrexham on August 9th.

All of the above developments also come whilst the 29-year-old is said to be the club's highest earner on £70,000 per week, according to Capology ESTIMATES.

Ryan Fraser

Ryan Fraser was integral in Saints' play-off winning season under Russell Martin in 2023/24, with a total of six goals and two assists on loan from Newcastle United eventually enough to earn the Scotland international a permanent two-year contract at St Mary's.

Despite also being unable to make his mark in the Premier League, the 31-year-old has returned to his consistent self in the Championship, offering a direct threat on the left flank, although it remains to be seen if he will remain at the club next year.

Alex McCarthy

Alex McCarthy joined Saints in August 2016, and has since gone on to make over 160 appearances for the club.

The 35-year-old played a key role in the club's play-off success in 2024 following an injury to Gavin Bazunu, subsequently being rewarded with a two-year extension.

In recent weeks, McCarthy has taken over the 'number one' role from the Irishman, who struggled for form following the aforementioned Ramsdale's loan switch to St James' Park,

Ross Stewart

Southampton invested £9m into Ross Stewart's services in August 2023. However, the Scot has, rather unfortunately, been unable to fully justify the hefty price tag.

After scoring 39 league goals for Sunderland prior to two major injury setbacks - the latter of which continued into his first months on the South Coast - the 29-year-old has only been able to show very minor flashes of quality in a Saints shirt.

The 'Loch Ness Drogba' recently suffered yet another injury blow against Derby County, just days after his best performance for the club and two goals saw him mount a dramatic comeback at Sheffield United.

As such, it has been a hot topic of discussion as to whether his long-term future lies at St Mary's.

George Long

George Long is the first of two loanees to feature on this list, with the 31-year-old making a temporary switch from Norwich City in late August.

The Sheffield-born shot-stopper has added a wealth of experience to Still's goalkeeping union, although it looks increasingly unlikely that he will remain at the club with each passing week, as he is yet to feature competitively for Saints after just nine appearances at Carrow Road last season.

Elias Jelert

Danish full-back Elias Jelert has also struggled for regular minutes since joining on loan from Galatasaray.

As such, it was recently claimed by Turkish outlet, Fanatik, that Still and the Southampton hierarchy have already opted against making his move permanent amid claims of a £7.4m option-to-buy.

The report also revealed that Saints agreed an approximately £260,000 loan fee for the 22-year-old, as well as paying the entirety of his wages across the season.