Southampton might now deal Sheffield United a blow as well as Sheffield Wednesday | OneFootball

The Saints are in the EFL managerial market and they could do some deals for players with Championship clubs too.

Southampton may be doing a fair bit of business with Championship clubs in the next month - Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday in particular.

It feels like the Saints are now nearly confirmed to be back in the EFL next season. Following their 5-0 home loss to Tottenham Hotspur, they parted ways with Russell Martin after 16 games of the season in which they amassed five points.

Given their horrible start to the season, and the quality of their squad compared to the other teams in the Premier League, it's no surprise that they are looking beyond May when considering Martin's replacement. The club's owners, Sports Republic, are said to be after someone with a similar philosophy but are willing to be flexible in their search, as per Alfie House.

Southampton's Sheffield United & Sheffield Wednesday links

Their impending Championship return has led to many current second tier managers who are performing well-being linked with the position, including Wednesday's Danny Rohl, although, according to talkSPORT, that avenue has a roadblock in it, with compensation for the manager, who signed a new contract in the summer being an issue.

Where they are in the league also opens them up to doing some deals with other EFL sides for players, both to bring them in and to let them go. The Blades are interested in signing two of the Saints' players: James Bree and Ben Brereton Diaz, according to Alan Nixon.

Southampton could cause double Sheffield United & Sheffield Wednesday pain

If they were to pull the trigger and get Rohl out of Hillsborough and bring him back to St Mary's, where he worked as an assistant under Ralph Hassenhuttl, they could end up causing twice the amount of pain in the Steel City than what would be felt on the blue side by Rohl's departure.

Losing the German manager would be a travesty for the Owls. It was an inspired decision to bring him in, with his miraculous effort to drag a poor Wednesday team to survival absolutely justifying the choice that the club's board made. They are now not far off the play-offs, and have made huge overall strides forward since his arrival in October 2023.

A deeper cut on the Owls may be inflicted if midfield loanee Shea Charles were to be taken away from them by a new Saints boss in the January window. Southampton have the option to recall the Northern Ireland captain in the new year; a move that was unlikely to be made with Martin at the helm.

United fans would probably love to see both of these things happen. They shouldn't be so quick to laugh though if they do come to fruition.

Based on the amount of game time that Bree and Brereton Diaz have had this season under Martin, a January exit was more than likely for them. More opportunities could come for the two of them, however, depending on who the new Southampton boss is, which would make a move to Bramall Lane for them much harder.

United are ready to spend as the takeover of the club by American group COH Sports is reportedly complete.