CEO reacts to claims Southampton will sign ‘outstanding’ £7.5m star after Tom Fellows

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As Southampton land Middlesbrough’s Finn Azaz and West Brom’s Tom Fellows, Heindenheim set-piece specialist Leo Scienza is another who could ease the disappointment of Mateus Fernandes’ departure.

Will Still said his goodbyes to Mateus Fernandes on Thursday. And, less than 24 hours later, the Portugal Under-21 international was putting pen to paper on a five-year contract at the London Stadium.

Of course, losing such a key part of Still’s squad is a distraction Southampton could have done without during the dying embers of the transfer window. The good news, though, is that a £40 million windfall is being put to very good use.

Southampton have signed Middlesbrough’s Finn Azaz – one of the most elegant and watchable attackers in the division – for an initial £12 million. Tom Fellows too.

Eduard Spertsyan, the Russian Premier League-winning captain, also remains in contention even if Still admits that progress has been slow. Krasnodar’s head coach Murad Musayev admitted a few days ago that Spertsyan will not be forced to stay in Russia against his will.

But while negotiations regarding Spertsyan are dragging on, Southampton are reportedly going from naught to sixty in pursuit of Heidenheim ace Leo Scienza.

Though, speaking to the Heidenheimer Zeitung, CEO Holger Sanwald insists that Scienza will only cross the Channel for what he considers to be an ‘exceptionally attractive’ offer.

Heidenheim CEO Holger Sanwald discusses Southampton’s Leo Scienza chase

Sanwald stopped short of explaining exactly what an ‘exceptionally attractive’ offer would entail.

German publication Kicker, though, say that Heidenheim are likely to accept a bid in the region of £7.5 million. One can presume that Southampton are willing to stump up a fee of that size, then, with Fabrizio Romano claiming that an agreement between the two clubs is ‘close’ to being agreed.

Scienza will not travel to England until after Saturday’s Bundesliga clash with RB Leipzig. The stylish Brazilian is likely to make his farewell appearance away to a beleaguered Leipzig side who suffered a 6-0 opening day defeat to a Harry Kane-inspired Bayern Munich.

“Leo will complete his final training session as usual and then travel with our team to Leipzig for tomorrow’s game,” Sanwald said on Friday. “There have been repeated rumours about him in recent weeks. However, we will continue to refrain from commenting on this in detail.

“The basic principle is [that] Leo still has a contract with us that runs until 2027 and he possesses outstanding footballing qualities. A transfer would therefore only be an option if it were truly exceptionally attractive for us financially.”

Scienza could help Saints replace Everton newbie Tyler Dibling

Two-footed and versatile enough to play on either flank or through the middle as a number ten, Scienza has made a flying start to the new campaign.

After netting twice in a 5-0 thrashing of Bahlinger SC in the DFB Pokal, Scienza then curled a gorgeous free-kick into the Wolfsburg net. The diminutive 26-year-old finished last season with six goals and eight assists across all competitions.

Scienza also helped Heidenheim reach the UEFA Conference League knockout stages during the club’s first-ever European sojourn.

While Scienza may be seen as an option to replace Mateus Fernandes at St Mary’s, his ability to play wide on the flanks mean Southampton could yet find their Tyler Dibling replacement in Germany’s top flight.

Dibling also netted the Saints a £40 million-plus fee when joining Everton.

Tom Fellows joins as Will Still praises Finn Azaz transfer

West Brom flyer Tom Fellows has joined the Saints rebuild too. No player in the Championship provided more assists than him in 2024/25, level with Portsmouth talisman Josh Murphy on 14.

Southampton have secured Casper Jander as well for a further £10.5 million. Scienza, then, is not the only player potentially heading to England’s south coast from Germany.

Azaz, meanwhile, could make his Saints debut against Watford on Saturday.

“His stats speak for themselves,” Still told BBC Radio Solent of Azaz, who provided 12 goals and 11 assists in his final season at Middlesbrough.

“He’s a proven goalscorer and assister in the Championship, he has scored and has been important for every team that he has played at. He has always been available between lines, he gets in the box and is able to anticipate things before most people.

“He is often in a space where he is able to turn and look forward, he can be very important.”