Last but not least, in more positive news for the Sky Blues, it seems that the club are on the brink of signing Japanese international Tatsuhiro Sakamoto.
CoventryLive report that the Sky Blues are set to unveil the 26-year-old as the club’s third signing of the summer
Their report claims that the Sky Blues will pay Belgian side KV Oostende a fee of £1.2 million for the player’s signature.
In the Belgian top flight last season, the two-cap Japanese international registered six assists in 30 league outings.
Prior to moving to Belgium, Sakamoto featured for Cerezo Osaka and Montedio Yamagata back in Japan
Southampton will be aiming to banish the ghosts of their torrid season in the Premier League last time out with an immediate return to the top-flight under Russell Martin.
The Saints managed just 25 points last season with just six wins, as Ruben Selles, Ralph Hasenhuttl and the enigmatic Nathan Jones failed to keep the club in the Premier League
But with the majority of their young squad still intact alongside other returning loanees, which have made them somewhat stronger, Martin will have no excuses should he not compete at the top end of the table. And Don Goodman has echoed his thoughts on the scenario, airing the fact that anything other than a play-off finish or higher as ‘disappointing’.
What has Don Goodman said about Southampton’s upcoming Championship campaign?
Speaking to Football League World via OLBG, the pundit said: “This is a club who have come up with a philosophy of bringing in young players and trying to make them better to sell for a profit.
“That’s the model that failed miserably in the Premier League, but it’s not to say it can’t be successful at this level. There’s a lot of variables for Southampton, they’ve got a new manager in Russell Martin, and I like the way he wants to play football.
“I’m not sure that you can get promoted when you take so many risks defensively though and give away so many silly goals. That’s what happened to Swansea City last season, and it was noticeable that when the pressure was off, they improved.
When they knew they couldn’t be relegated and couldn’t get a playoff spot, then Swansea started to put a run together. They finished really strong, and everyone starts to take note, but it’s completely different when you play with freedom.
“There will be a pressure and an expectation, I like the way Russell Martin wants to play but my opinion on Swansea was they kept the ball for the sake of keeping the ball. I couldn’t see why they would take so many risks playing out from the back, so that’s the bit that concerns me.
“Like the rest of the relegated clubs, anything less than a top six finish would be viewed as disappointing really.”
Why are Southampton favourites to go up?
Despite losing Mislav Orsic, Ibrahima Diallo and Mohammed Salisu, Southampton haven’t exactly lost any of their big stars as such, just yet.
