Southampton see Loftus-Cheek as a potential loan option – but not McTominay

Southampton’s 5-2 home loss to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday highlighted a gaping hole in Ralph Hasenhuttl’s squad.

Once Oriol Romeu had to be withdrawn early out of fear he was going to earn a second yellow card, the Southampton manager could only turn to Will Smallbone as he tried to prevent the game getting away from his team.

For a 19-year-old to come off the bench and make a difference in a match that was quickly slipping beyond Southampton’s control was always going to be difficult, despite his best efforts.

What it did do though, was re-emphasise the fact they need to sign a midfielder sooner rather than later, especially as Hasenhuttl is going to stick with his new high defensive line despite the tactic being so ruthlessly exploited by Spurs.

Sunday’s second half highlighted how important the central midfielders will be in that system.

During the opening 45 minutes, Romeu and James Ward-Prowse both made a nuisance of themselves, pressing Tottenham at every opportunity. But the intensity dropped after the break and Jose Mourinho’s creative players had time to look up and spray passes beyond the defence for Son Heung-min and Harry Kane to run on to.

What Southampton really need is a player who can come in and hit the ground running or, at the very least, need only a handful of games to get up to speed with Hasenhuttl’s methods.

Having already lost three games on the bounce, two of those in the Premier League, there will be a desire to arrest that slide before it turns into a worrying decline.

While the now-departed Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg was never the most exciting midfielder, he was effective alongside Ward-Prowse, with both players knowing their role in the team and sticking to it religiously. They were disciplined and had the positional awareness to close out danger but, more importantly for Hasenhuttl, they pressed the opposition relentlessly, not allowing them more than a handful of seconds to look up and spot a potential pass.

Mario Lemina and Harrison Reed have also left the club this summer, meaning three central midfielders have gone through the exit door without any coming in the entrance.

Going into this transfer window, strengthening the defence was always Hasenhuttl’s priority. Mohammed Salisu and Kyle Walker-Peters arrived before pre-season and it then became a case of selling players before being able to buy again.

Even though the likes of Guido Carrillo, Sofiane Boufal and Wesley Hoedt are still at the club, there’s been a realisation that the midfield is undercooked. It’s something Hasenhuttl has admitted and is now looking to rectify. With less than two weeks to go before the window closes on October 5 though, time is starting to run out to strengthen that department.

But in Thursday’s press conference, Hasenhuttl made it clear that he will be adding to his squad before the transfer window closes: “I know we will get players in,” he said ahead of the trip to Burnley. “I think it has come to the moment where there are some good opportunities coming up for us. The players who were our No 1 choices were not so easy to get.”

Weston McKennie was one player the club had targeted, but they were unable to get a deal over the line before Juventus swooped in offering the USA midfielder a financial package Southampton just weren’t able to match.

“We have some alternatives now, and we are still keen for them to come to us — whether that’s on loan or permanently,” Hasenhuttl added. “I think we know we need one or two players minimum, maybe three.”

The Athletic is led to believe Southampton are considering both the permanent and loan markets to bolster their midfield ranks.

If a player joins on loan, the expectation is they will come with Premier League experience as opposed to an overseas import likely to need time to get up to speed with the rigours of England’s top flight.

The midfielder attracting plenty of attention from Southampton fans, especially on social media, is Chelsea’s Ruben Loftus-Cheek. The 24-year-old England international has been left out of both of Frank Lampard’s match-day squads since a disappointing performance against Brighton in the opening game of the season.

Following their most recent match on Wednesday, a 6-0 win over Barnsley in the Carabao Cup, Lampard didn’t rule out the possibility of some players leaving, saying: “I keep getting asked about the size of the squad.

“There might be movement, we know that, but nothing is concrete so don’t read too much into those selections at the minute. It will have to be things which are right for the club and individuals and me and in terms of what happens in the next couple of weeks.”

The Athletic understands Southampton are currently monitoring the situation closely, although there is some debate as to whether Loftus-Cheek can play effectively in the No 6 role. But should he become available on loan, it would be an avenue the St Mary’s side would be keen to explore. However, another issue could be his wages.

Loftus-Cheek is believed to be on over £100,000 a week, considerably more than any current Southampton player makes. For any move to come to fruition, it would involve Chelsea subsidising a chunk of his salary.

There could be some hope, though, as Burnley managed to secure a 50/50 wage split with Chelsea when they took midfielder Danny Drinkwater on loan for last season, which shows the London side could be willing to negotiate.

However, as explained by The Athletic last week, Loftus-Cheek is believed to be part of Lampard’s plans this season, although, as another source explained, a lot could happen between now and the end of the transfer window.

One area of concern regarding any move for Loftus-Cheek could be his recent injury record. He sustained a serious achilles injury in a US friendly against MLS club New England Revolution in May last year, meaning he’s played just 288 minutes of first-team football in the past 16 months.

Another name that has been discussed within the club is that of Manchester United’s Scott McTominay — a midfielder Hasenhuttl is said to admire greatly. However, any ambitious move for the Scotland international was effectively ruled out when United didn’t sign Thiago Alcantara. Had the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich star headed to Old Trafford rather than join Liverpool, Southampton believed it could have opened the door for a loan move for 23-year-old McTominay.

Another player linked in recent days has been Everton’s Tom Davies.

On the face of it, the 22-year-old fits the bill. It wouldn’t be too difficult getting him out of Goodison Park as Carlo Ancelotti is well stocked in midfield and he has fallen down the pecking order, starting just one of Everton’s four matches this season — the Carabao Cup win over Salford City — and playing just a single minute in the Premier League. Yet, although he’s a player Southampton have previously monitored, The Athletic revealed this week there has been no contact between the clubs regarding any move.

If Southampton were to sign a player permanently, something they are also working on behind the scenes, then it would be a Moussa Djenepo-type investment. In other words, a young midfielder who has the potential to come in and do a job, but would more than likely need some time to adapt.

The club’s revamped recruitment strategy sees them target “rough diamonds”, who, eventually, can be developed into highly-rated players before being sold for a sizeable profit further down the line.

(Photo: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)