Southampton's hopes of signing Arnaut Danjuma this summer have seemingly been handed a boost after Bournemouth failed to win promotion back to the top-flight with defeat in the play-off semi-final against Brentford recently.
The Dutch winger was linked with a move to St Mary's earlier this year, with The Sun claiming that both Southampton and West Ham were keen on bringing the former Club Brugge man to the Premier League.
However, it had seemed as if he could help the Cherries secure an immediate return to the top-flight following their relegation last season, as they finished the season in fine form and earned a spot in the playoffs.
They met Brentford and earned a 1-0 win in the home leg thanks to Danjuma's goal before he added another in the return leg to put Jonathan Woodgate's side 2-0 up on aggregate.
However, the Bees would fight back and would progress to the final after a 3-1 win, consigning Bournemouth to another season in the second tier.
Given that Danjuma managed an impressive 17 goals and seven assists in 35 Championship appearances this season, it would be a surprise if he doesn't earn himself a move away, and Southampton could be the ones to take advantage of the Cherries' failure to win promotion.
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Goals from out wide has been a real problem for Ralph Hasenhuttl this season, with Nathan Redmond, Moussa Djenepo, Theo Walcott and Stuart Armstrong managing just 10 Premier League goals between them, so signing a winger with an eye for goal like Danjuma could be a superb addition ahead of the 2021/22 campaign.
Woodgate was full of praise for Danjuma earlier this year after his impressive form helped fire Bournemouth up the table, saying:
“I know last season that he didn’t really get a run in the Premier League and he maybe found it a bit difficult to get game time, but this season he’s been outstanding. I can only talk of what he’s done under my reign, but at the minute, he’s playing some exceptional football, and what else he is doing is working for the team."
A player of Danjuma's quality deserves to be playing in the Premier League and given that Southampton hold a geographical advantage in any potential discussions, you would hope that Saints CEO Martin Semmens can convince him to make the switch to St Mary's this summer.
And, in other news... Semmens should overrule crazy Hasenhuttl decision and swoop for £8.1m-rated beast