Southampton FC "worst fear" raised if double transfer exit happens at St Mary's | OneFootball

Southampton enter the 2025/26 Championship campaign as one of the favourites for promotion

This article is part of Football League World’s ‘Terrace Talk‘ series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Southampton enter the 2025/26 Championship campaign as one of the favourites to secure the title.

Despite suffering one of the worst Premier League seasons to date last term, there is an air of positivity currently swirling around St. Mary’s.

With an exciting new manager in the form of Will Still alongside additions such as Damion Downs and Joshua Quarshie, there is a real belief that promotion straight back up to the top-flight is a realistic prospect.

However, the next few weeks could be make or break for the Saints’ upcoming season.

With rumours building over potential exits for a number of key players, Football League World’s Southampton fan pundit, Martin Sanders, has outlined what the club’s nightmare scenario would be before the end of the transfer window.

Southampton told they must avoid transfer mistake

“My worst fear for now would be to lose Tyler Dibling and Mateus Fernandes,” stated Simon. "And not getting adequate replacements in.

“There is a lot of talk about Tom Fellows as a replacement for Dibling. I think he'd be a brilliant signing. It would show real ambition to go and get someone like him.

“But my fear is selling key assets and not having the right bodies to come in the door, which would leave us lightweight and relying on young players from the academy that are not quite ready.

“Not making sure that we got back up in weak areas, certainly like in central midfield, where we have got Shea Charles and Flynn Downes. What happens if one of those gets injured? Who's going to step in and play there?

“I think we must get the balance of the squad right.”

Southampton will face an uphill task to replace Tyler Dibling and Mateus Fernandes

As they enter the 2025/26 Championship campaign, Southampton still have a great deal of business to commence.

GiveMeSport have reported that West Ham United are showing strong interest in Fernandes, whilst Everton, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United are all keen on acquiring Dibling’s services.

If Southampton make these sales, they will have a substantial amount of money to invest back into the team.

However, time is of the essence and the Saints would have to have incomings lined up immediately.

If not, Martin’s nightmare could become a harrowing reality, one in which Southampton have offloaded their best players without bringing in adequate replacements.