Southampton are targeting promotion to the Premier League in 2026/27 after ending the previous campaign with a strong run of form. The Saints earned a place in the play-off final, but never got to enjoy their trip to Wembley Stadium as they were expelled from the competition due to breaching the EFL's rules against spying on training opposition. Despite this setback, Tonda Eckert will still be hopeful he can guide the club to another play-off place, at the very least, in the upcoming campaign. While the club will be starting behind everyone due to a four-point deduction penalty, there is a lot of optimism at St. Mary's for the year ahead.
League standing (final 2025 table -- new season not yet under way): 4th in Championship, 80 pts, 22W-14D-10L from 46 games, recent form WDWDD. Goals this season: 82 scored, 56 conceded (+26 goal difference). Title race: 15 points behind leaders Coventry. Next fixture: vs Norwich (at home, 2027-02-17) (9th in the table).
It's been a relatively busy summer so far for Southampton, who have seen Lewis Dobbin and George Long sign, as well as Daniel Peretz and Cyle Larin return on permanent transfers. In terms of departures, the most notable player to have left is Ross Stewart, joining Swansea City as a free agent. Eckert continues to look to build a team ready for a promotion push next season.
What happened?
Southampton have agreed to loan out Jay Robinson to Italian side Monza as part of their summer business. The 19-year-old made 26 appearances in the Championship last season, including seven starts, and will now be targeting regular game time in order to gain valuable experience. The youngster showed a lot of promise, and even contributed two goals and one assist for the Saints to aid their promotion push.
Why it matters for Southampton
But the club have decided that he will be better off competing with Monza, and they have to avoid the risk of this turning into a similar situation as Nathan Tella. Tella went on loan to Burnley in 2022, and helped the Clarets gain promotion to the Premier League under Vincent Kompany. The Nigeria international developed superbly at Turf Moor, but it only led to him attracting permanent transfer interest upon his return to St. Mary's in the summer of 2023, after Saints' untimely relegation back into the EFL.
What comes next?
Southampton eventually cashed in, and Tella signed for Bayer Leverkusen, where he helped the German club finally win the Bundesliga title under Xabi Alonso. While the Saints will want Robinson to improve at Monza, they won’t want him to end up progressing beyond where Southampton are as a club and wanting a move away from the club in 12 months’ time. Of course, with the likes of Finn Azaz, Leo Scienza, Kuryu Matsuki, Lewis Dobbin and Tom Fellows to choose from in attack, Robinson was always likely to miss out or struggle for minutes. In that respect, this loan does make sense. However, it is only by keeping younger players at the club that you can ensure they will develop, and Robinson showed last season he had what it takes to compete in the Championship. By not having him under a very close watch, they are losing elements of control.
