Southampton may run into similar ‘complications’ as West Ham as they look to sign 34-cap international

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Will Still and Southampton will be determined to earn promotion to the Premier League this season, and to do this it will require a few new faces to join the squad.

Southampton appointed Will Still earlier this summer ahead of the 2025/26 Championship campaign, and his first weeks in charge have been centred around the transfer window.

The club will be looking to put their last campaign behind them, as the Saints nearly broke Derby County’s points record, as they accrued just 12 over the course of their 38 games.

As the club looks for a refresh, this has seen a number of players depart the club, including Aaron Ramsdale heading to Newcastle United and full back Kyle Walker-Peters leaving the club upon the expiration of his contract.

However, the club also need to bring in several fresh faces, but one player they have been chasing may be a difficult deal to pull off.

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Southampton chasing a deal for Eduard Spertsyan

The Saints have shown an interest in Eduard Spertsyan and have been monitoring his availability to be purchased this summer, with it being likely that Southampton would get him if they wished.

However, as per information from our Chief Football Correspondent, Graeme Bailey, EFL Analysis can exclusively reveal that any deal will not be made easy, as he is currently playing his football at Russian club Krasnodar.

English clubs have found it difficult to do business in recent seasons with clubs in Russia due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, as seen in West Ham’s chase of Nikola Vlasic.

West Ham struggled in paying CSKA Moscow to bring Vlasic to London, with the deal going to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

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Who is Eduard Spertsyan?

Spertsyan is a 34-cap international for Armenia, and he has impressed in his appearances for his country.

The 25-year-old Russian-born midfielder came through the Krasnodar youth system, and he has been part of their senior squad since making his debut in September 2020 in the Russian League.

Spertsyan is the youngest Armenian international to ever play in the Champions League, surpassing Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

He has been a key part of the squad, making 147 games for Krasnodar, scoring 45 goals, with one of them already coming this season in his four appearances.