According to Sky Sports' report on Southampton's January transfer window, Maya Yoshida, Shane Long and Cedric could leave the club this month with their contracts set to expire in the summer.

What's the word, then?

Well, Cedric has already made clear his intentions to leave the club at the end of the season, while Maya Yoshida has lost his place in the team to Jack Stephens and Jan Bednarek following the 9-0 defeat to Leicester - the Japan international has played just five minutes in the Premier League since then.

However, in Long's case, the former Reading, West Brom and Hull forward has enjoyed a mini-resurgence under Ralph Hasenhuttl recently, starting four games in a row against Norwich, Newcastle, West Ham and Aston Villa as the Saints recorded two wins.

Sky Sports reporter Lyall Thomas revealed, as aforementioned, that Long could leave in January, which would be foolish on Southampton's part if it happened.

Deserves a new contract

Despite initially being pushed down the pecking order following the £15m arrival of Che Adams, Long has battled back impressively to become a part of Hasenhuttl's starting XI once again - four of his five Premier League starts this season have come in the month of December.

The 32-year-old's desire and energy knows no bounds and he also grabbed a vital assist against Norwich for Ryan Bertrand's goal, which turned out to be the winner in a crucial relegation six-pointer.

Additionally, Hasenhuttl recently expressed his satisfaction with the Republic of Ireland international's performances despite a lack of goals, saying: "We’re always happy when he’s playing and if he cannot another guy must step up to his workload which is massive.

"He’s a fantastic professional and always positive; really nasty to play against because he’s always hunting for every ball and this is something that helps our game, absolutely."

Long also drew praise from some Southampton supporters on Twitter for his showing against Norwich, while these fans also lauded the tireless forward for his performance against Aston Villa recently.

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It would be a travesty for a hard-working player such as Long to leave the club this month amidst a relegation battle, and his recent outings for the Saints prove that he deserves a new contract to keep him at St Mary's.

In other news, Southampton should avoid competing with this Premier League duo for a Ligue 1 player who would be a waste of time pursuing...