BBC Radio Solent Sports Editor Adam Blackmore has revealed what he is "still worried about" following the recent Southampton announcement about their financial results leading up until June 2019, speaking on the latest episode of the Total Saints Podcast (March 22, 1:20pm).

What did he say?

Well, Blackmore and host Ben Stanfield were talking about earlier this month when it was confirmed that the club recorded a loss of £34m for the financial year ending in 2019, and the broadcaster revealed some of the concerns he has.

Speaking on the Total Saints Podcast (36:30), he said: "I’m still worried about those figures. And I’m worried about them simply because, as a Saints ‘fan’, I would be worried about how we’re going to go back to being a club that is challenging the top seven or eight sides. That jump needs investment and it needs the club to be selling.

"Some people aren’t going to want to hear this, but you know as well as I do, and they’ve said it honestly, a self-sustaining part of that is making money on players. Now at the moment I don’t know how they’re going to do that and reinvest enough to make them a better team. That is my one worry."

Is he right to be concerned?

He certainly is.

It is less than four years ago since Saints were playing the likes of Inter Milan and Sparta Prague in competitive Europa League games, but they look miles away from achieving that again under the current regime.

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Owner Gao Jisheng told The Financial Times last year that the south coast outfit needs to be self-sustaining and that he isn’t going to be investing any of his own money, which ultimately means that selling to buy has to be a viable option for the club.

That could mean that Southampton have to move their most valuable assets on if Ralph Hasenhuttl wants to strengthen his squad, which is of course a little risky.

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In addition, the fact that Saints have had three seasons in a row where they have had relegation worries suggests those assets in their squad may also be few and far between.

The upcoming summer transfer window – when it eventually happens – is likely to tell us a lot about the club’s short-term direction.

In other Southampton news, Blackmore has made an admission about Saints defender Ryan Bertrand, says it "might surprise" some people...