Will Still makes shock Mateus Fernandes admission as Southampton find ‘best’ solution to transfer saga

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Southampton have been busy in the summer transfer market as it comes to a close; however, there is a need to remain focused on the pitch as they face Watford this weekend in the Championship.

The Saints have seen several incomings and outgoings ahead of the closure of the summer transfer window on September 1, with more expected before it shuts.

Southampton have reportedly agreed to sign Finn Azaz from Middlesbrough and Caspar Jander from FC Nurnberg.

Meanwhile, the club have bid farewell to the exciting talent that is Tyler Dibling, as he left the Saints to join Everton after a long, drawn-out transfer saga.

Another player that has agreed to leave is Portuguese midfielder Mateus Fernandes; however, rumours still persist about other players at Southampton.

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Will Still on Mateus Fernandes’ exit

Ahead of the weekend fixture with Watford, Will Still held his press conference where he addressed the latest transfer dealings conducted by the club, as reported in Southern Daily Echo.

The Southampton manager remained coy about the deal to sign Tom Fellows from West Brom, but he was open about his opinion on Mateus Fernandes joining West Ham.

He said: “Matty is obviously a fantastic football player and a good human, but Matty wants to leave and has wanted to leave.

“And it then becomes, in the modern day, incredibly difficult to keep people who don’t want to be at the football club.

“I think the best thing for everyone is that he moves on and that he does what he needs to do, and we focus on people who want to be here, who want to build something this season, and move on to the next step for the football club.

“Matty has been unbelievable for the time that he has been here. He is one of those others that has been put under pressure from national teams as well.

“He wants to go to the World Cup next year, and he wants to be a part of the Portuguese team, which I get. If West Ham get him, then West Ham have got an incredibly good football player.

“It also allows us in another space to bring in extra quality and people who eventually want to be here.

“I think it’s mixed feelings. I understand the frustration, but ultimately, when players don’t want to be here and want to move on, then you get into a situation that is tricky for everyone.”

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Will Still on his Southampton squad

The Southampton manager will be quietly confident ahead of their Championship fixture with Watford this weekend, as they are unbeaten in their last nine league visits to Vicarage Road.

However, while he may be focused on the game, this will be now due to his happiness with the squad he has assembled for the rest of the campaign.

He said: “Based on the last 24 hours, pretty confident. I think things are starting to move. People coming in and out of this building, which is obviously important and interesting for us moving forward.

“It’s then frustrating that the international break breaks everything up and everyone goes away for a bit, because you want to work with these people.

“You want to welcome them in the right way. But no, I think Johannes said it: it’s an art to build a window and do a transfer window properly. So hopefully we get it right by the end of it.”