Harwood-Bellis wants Southampton FC stay on one condition and it's completely fair enough: View | OneFootball

Highlights

Southampton continued their recent upturn in form on Saturday afternoon, with a 3-1 win over Birmingham City at St Mary's.

After a run of four straight defeats, victory over the Blues means it is now six without defeat in the league for Russell Martin's side, with four wins in that time.

Goals from Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Carlos Alcaraz and Adam Armstrong were enough to secure all three points for the Saints in that match, extending a run that has lifted them to fourth in the Championship table.

Following relegation from the Premier League at the end of last season, there will have been an expectation around St Mary's going into the campaign, that the club should be pushing for an immediate return to the top-flight of English football.

This recent run of form suggests they may be capable of doing just that, and although they are still ten points adrift of second place Ipswich Town - who have a game in hand - in the battle for an automatic promotion place, there is plenty of time remaining in the season to overhaul that deficit.

Now it seems as though they may have to do just that, if they are to retain the services of one of their goalscorers from Saturday beyond the end of this season, in the form of Harwood-Bellis.

What is the latest on Harwood-Bellis' situation at Southampton?

Back in the summer transfer window, Harwood-Bellis joined the Saints from treble winning Manchester City, on a season-long loan deal.

As part of that deal, Southampton do have the option to make the centre back's move to St Mary's permanent for a reported £20million, but only if they win promotion to the Premier League this season.

Now it appears as though that is a sentiment that Harwood-Bellis himself is also taking when it comes to his long-term future.

When asked by the Daily Echo if he would like to make a permanent move to Southampton next summer, the 21-year-old confirmed he would be keen to do just that, so long as the club do win promotion to the Premier League during the current campaign.

Given the centre back's emerging importance to Southampton, and clear quality, the fact that the club may need to win promotion to have any chance of retaining his services beyond next summer, may be a concern for some of those at St Mary's.

However, when looking at things from Harwood-Bellis' perspective, his desire for Southampton to be a Premier League team next season if he is to stay with the club, feels completely fair enough.

Why Harwood-Bellis is right to want Premier League football next season?

The fact of the matter is, that Harwood-Bellis now has more than enough experience in his career to be ready for a chance in the Premier League next season.

Across loan spells with the likes of Blackburn Rovers, Stoke City, Burnley and now Southampton, the centre back has already racked up 81 Championship appearances in his career.

That tally looks well set to move pass the 100-mark by the end of this stint with the Saints, so he has certainly paid his dues at this level, suggesting he is deserving of that step-up to the next level of the Premier League.

Indeed, it could even be argued that he is already at the point where he deserves that chance, considering the important role he played in Burnley's own promotion from the Championship back to the top-flight last season.

Having also made eight appearances for Manchester City in the past - albeit none in the Premier League - Harwood-Bellis also looks to have earned some level of trust from one of the most successful managers in the world, further giving credence to the suggestion that with the extra experience he has since picked up, he is now ready for a chance in the top-flight.

Beyond that, it is also worth noting that Premier League clubs such as Nottingham Forest, West Ham, Fulham and Burnley themselves, were also credited with an interest in Harwood-Bellis back in the summer.

As a result, the centre back may be confident that he can again attract attention from the top-flight come the end of this season.

Should that happen, then it is likely that Southampton will also have to ensure they are a Premier League club by the start of next season, if they are to have a chance of making the most appealing offer to him, both from a footballing and financial perspective.

Furthermore, given the fact he will be 22-years-old by the end of this season, from the perspective of progressing his career to the level he wants it to be at, it does seem as though that could be the right time for Harwood-Bellis to try and establish himself in the Premier League, giving him plenty of time to adapt and thrive at that level.

It should also be remembered that Harwood-Bellis does already have some top-flight experience from a loan spell in Belgium with Anderlecht, which may have further whetted his appetite for more chances at that level, and added to his belief he can make an impact there.

With all that in mind, it seems as though there are a number of factors that suggest Harwood-Bellis will be more than ready for a chance in the Premier League come the end of this season.

As a result, his stance here does look to be justified, even if it is going to put yet more pressure on Southampton to come out successful in this latest Championship promotion battle.