Southampton FC striker exit finally confirmed - it makes complete sense | OneFootball

Southampton's decision to offload striker Dom Ballard to Leyton Orient is the right call, despite the potential he showed earlier in his career.

It was an incredibly busy summer transfer window for Southampton following their relegation from the Premier League.

Southampton took a little while to get going in the transfer market, but they went on to complete nine signings during the course of the summer window, with George Long, Mads Roerslev, Elias Jelert, Joshua Quarshie, Caspar Jander, Finn Azaz, Tom Fellows, Leo Scienza and Damion Downs arriving at St Mary's.

As was expected after relegation, there were also a number of high-profile exits, with the likes of Jan Bednarek, Mateus Fernandes, Tyler Dibling, Kamaldeen Sulemana and Paul Onauchu making permanent moves away from the club, while Aaron Ramsdale, Yukinari Sugawara, Will Smallbone and Ben Brereton Diaz were among those who left on loan.

While those departures generated plenty of headlines, one that went slightly under the radar was Dom Ballard's move to League One side Leyton Orient, with the striker making a permanent switch to Brisbane Road after a number of loan spells in recent years.

The decision to offload Ballard has split opinion among Saints supporters, but having failed to make an impact at his loan clubs, it makes sense for the South Coast to allow him to move on.

Southampton have made the right decision with big Dom Ballard transfer call

Ballard has long been viewed as a highly-rated talent having scored 27 goals in 34 games for Southampton at Under-18 level before going on to net 33 goals in 38 appearances for the club's Under-21 side, while he also scored on his senior debut in an EFL Cup victory at Cambridge United back in August 2022.

As Ballard's reputation continued to grow following his prolific form in the Saints academy, journalist Fabrizio Romano claimed that three clubs from England and Germany were keeping tabs on him in the summer of 2023, but a move did not materialise.

Just weeks after those rumours emerged, Ballard joined League One side Reading on loan, and he made a big impact at the Select Car Leasing Stadium as he scored five goals and provided three assists in his first 12 appearances, but his temporary spell with the Royals was then cut short by a serious injury that kept him out for the remainder of the season.

After returning to full fitness, Ballard made another loan move to the third tier with Blackpool last summer, but he struggled to hit the same heights as he scored just one goal in 22 games for the Seasiders prior to being recalled by Southampton in January.

Ballard spent the second half of last season on loan at Cambridge, and while he performed slightly better there as he found the back of the net twice in 17 appearances, he was unable to prevent their relegation to League Two.

Given Ballard's frustrating spells at Blackpool and Cambridge, it was always unlikely he was going to feature much for the Saints this season, particularly with competition for places from the likes of Downs, Adam Armstrong, Ross Stewart and Cameron Archer, and while some supporters still believed he could have been one for the future, it seems that view was not shared by manager Will Still.

Southampton made the decision to sell Ballard to Leyton Orient on deadline day for what is believed to be a six-figure fee, and they will still be able to profit from his future success having inserted a "significant sell-on clause" into the deal, which could prove to be shrewd business from the club.

Leyton Orient could be the perfect destination for Dom Ballard after Southampton exit

While selling Ballard makes perfect business sense for Southampton, the move to Leyton Orient could also be exactly what the 20-year-old needs at this stage of his career.

Orient manager Richie Wellens has a strong track record of developing young players, with the likes of Josh Keeley, Jack Currie, Jamie Donley and Charlie Kelman all starring during their loan spells at Brisbane Road last season as the London outfit reached the League One play-off final.

Kelman was perhaps the biggest success story, with the striker scoring a stunning 27 goals in 61 appearances for the O's last season to earn a move to Charlton Athletic this summer in a deal that could be worth up to £5 million, and Ballard will be hoping that Wellens can help his career go in a similar trajectory.

With Kelman no longer at the club, Aaron Connolly has been Wellens' first-choice striker this season, but he has scored just once in his first six games, so Ballard may have a big opportunity to nail down his place in the team if he can hit the ground running.

Of course, having struggled for form at Blackpool and Cambridge last season, Ballard arrives at Orient with a point to prove, but if he is able to rediscover his form, he could be a real asset for his new club in the coming years, and, as they stand to benefit from any future sale, Southampton will be watching his progress closely.