Leeds United supporters will undoubtedly cast jealous looks in Southampton’s direction as they arrange their transfers in preparation for their Premier League comeback in August.
After missing out on automatic promotions and the playoffs the previous season, Daniel Farke is attempting to earn promotion in the Championship in 24/25.
The team that defeated Leeds at Wembley was Southampton, and Russell Martin wanted to bolster his defense for the upcoming campaign.
For under £6 million, Southampton completed three astute defender purchases.
After defeating Leeds at the end of May, Martin’s Saints automatically prompted the recruitment of Taylor Harwood-Bellis from Manchester City; nevertheless, additional signings are imminent.
Charlie Taylor, a former target and product of the Leeds academy, joined Southampton on a free transfer to provide depth at left-back after leaving relegated Burnley.
They have signed deals with Swansea City and Peterborough United on their respective center backs, Nathan Wood and Ronnie Edwards, more recently this week (above).
Taylor, Wood, and Edwards will cost £6 million in total because the fees for each are reportedly in the neighborhood of £3 million.
Saints take advantage of Leeds’ oversight as they sign cheap defender deals.
There aren’t many Leeds supporters who aren’t happy about Joe Rodon’s £10 million acquisition this week, which both guarantees continuity and gives the defense the much-needed quality boost.
Nevertheless, it’s difficult not to be envious of Saints’ recent actions here as they successfully take advantage of astute EFL transactions to assemble a long-term defensive lineup.
Although Taylor, Wood, and Edwards aren’t three defenders who will keep Southampton in the division, it’s still really impressive that they were able to sign them for that total, since it will benefit them in the long run.
If Leeds had been unable to sign Rodon, they would have been better off scouting the two young center-backs in particular. If they develop as many believe they will under Martin’s possession-based style, they will undoubtedly be worth much more in the years to come.
Harwood-Bellis is another addition, giving you a very young core that, if they can survive the Premier League’s strain, should improve with age.
