2 Southampton FC players who should be sold - it will save them £22,500-per-week in wages | OneFootball

As the new season approaches, the squad continues to be bloated with central defenders. Selling just two of them could net the club £22,500 per week

At the last count, Southampton FC had seven central defenders in their very bloated squad. The sale of former captain Jan Bednarek to Porto for a reported £6.5 million has eased the congestion somewhat, but manager Will Still is well aware of the need to trim the squad further.

If pre-season is anything to go by, Still has favoured the pairing of Jack Stephens and Joshua Quarshie in the centre of defence. The returning Under-21 European champion Ronnie Edwards will no doubt have something to say about that.

Beyond those three, German international Armel Bella-Kotchap isn't even in the equation at the moment. The subject of reported interest from Hamburg, Bella-Kotchap, has not taken part in any of Saints' warm-up matches so far. The want away defender has failed to settle at St Mary's and a bid in the region of £10 million would be enough to reduce the number to six central defenders in the squad.

Six is still two too many, as we explore a couple Saints could look to move on:

Taylor Harwood-Bellis

After securing promotion in 2024, the buy option in Taylor Harwood-Bellis' contract was triggered. Southampton forked out a reported £20 million for the former Manchester City man. Sadly for Harwood-Bellis, his form was an integral factor in Southampton's catastrophic season. Alongside Jan Bednarek and Jack Stephens, Harwood-Bellis' confidence was shot to pieces by Christmas.

Now must be the time to try and cash in on Harwood-Bellis. The 23-year-old is due back from ankle surgery in the first week or two of August, so it is unlikely that he will play competitively before September. Harwood-Bellis has indicated that he would like to stay at Southampton and believes that he can help the Saints back to the Premier League again. With his wages quoted on capology.com at just £7,500 and with three years remaining on his contract, the board may decide against selling.

However, by the time Harwood-Bellis returns to action, he could be so far behind the likes of Quarshie and Edwards that he doesn't even get a look in and his value drops further.

Nathan Wood

Another player who may not feature for Southampton in the Championship but fully deserves a move is Nathan Wood. At £15,000 per week (according to capology.com) he's an expensive substitute to have in this division. Wood has looked solid during pre-season without being good enough to threaten the first team and certainly not a player who would feature in the Premier League if Southampton made a prompt return.

That leaves a competitive blend of experience and youth to compete for places and continue their development in the centre of Will Still's defence. Quarshie, Stephens, Edwards, and the 18-year-old hot prospect Joachim Kayi Sanda should be the four that Still has at his disposal when the summer transfer window closes.

Although £22,500 is a relatively small saving by modern standards, it is nevertheless a saving that could enable the south coast club to bring in reinforcements in the full-back area. With goalkeeper, Aaron Ramsdale, destined to exit, the money could be used in that area too.