The future of Southampton striker Che Adams remains up in the air and manager Russell Martin has now offered his verdict.
Russell Martin will want preparations for Southampton’s return to the Premier League to go as swimmingly as possible.
The Saints have been active in the transfer window, with Martin assembling a competitive squad, including new arrivals Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Flynn Downes, Yukinari Sugawara, Nathan Wood, Ronnie Edwards, Charlie Taylor and Adam Lallana.
Southampton kick off their pre-season friendlies with a short trip to Eastleigh this evening and supporters will be excited to see some of their seven new signings in action, the most recent being Downes.
The return of the 25-year-old could be their most crucial ahead of their top-flight campaign however, some players certainly won’t be involved in tonight’s game, and one of those is Che Adams.
Russell Martin says Che Adams has been offered a ‘brilliant’ contract
Adams scored 17 goals last term to help fire the Saints to promotion alongside teammate Adam Armstrong, who he developed a strong partnership with.
Sadly, Adams’s future has been up in the air for the last few months, as with his contract expiring at the end of June, many accepted that the 28-year-old would move on.
Whilst supporters accepted that fate, there has been no confirmation from the club and fans have been left in the dark. That is because Martin remains keen on keeping the Scotland international at the club and in a recent interview, he’s even said Adams has been offered a ‘brilliant’ contract to stay.
However, with much interest from elsewhere – including Serie A side Torino – Martin doesn’t expect him to sign a contract anytime soon and has conceded to looking for a replacement.
Speaking to BBC Sport correspondent Lewis Coombes, Martin said: “We offered Che a brilliant contract, in my opinion for the club, a really good contract.
“But it’s Che’s prerogative to take his time and assess the situation. So, as it stands, I think the ball is in Che’s court. So we have to be aware of other targets in that position and I mean, I’m in touch with him on a fairly regular basis but would I expect him to sign anytime soon? Probably not.
“But would I expect him to sign somewhere else very soon? I don’t think so. We’ll have to wait and see but football changes very quickly.”
Southampton must now let Che Adams leave
Judging by the fact that a ‘brilliant’ contract offer has been placed on the table and Adams is taking his sweet time over making a decision, it’s crystal clear that he wants to leave St Mary’s.
The striker’s future has been under question for quite some time, even before they were promoted to the Premier League, and this latest interview from Martin only reinforces the need to let him depart.
Ahead of a top-flight campaign, where the odds are stacked against Southampton remaining in the division, the club want individuals who want to play in red and white.
Adams isn’t currently part of that camp and is more of a bad egg around the place, who could cause disharmony in the squad if his future isn’t resolved very soon.
That future appears to be elsewhere – five years, 191 appearances and 48 goals after joining in 2019.
