Southampton could lose an “exciting young talent” in January, with one Premier League club showing an interest.
Who left Southampton this summer?
The Saints and new manager Russell Martin lost a number of players in the summer, bringing in just under £160m through sales.
Big money was brought in for Romeo Lavia, Tino Livramento, James Ward-Prowse and Nathan Tella, with Mohammed Salisu, Moussa Djenepo and Mislav Orsic also bringing in fees.
The club are currently going through an extremely tricky period back in the Championship following a relatively solid opening few weeks. Three wins from the opening four games gave plenty of belief around St Mary’s, however, the Saints have now lost their last four, leaving them in 15th place.
One player who began the campaign as a regular was Carlos Alcaraz, starting three of the first four, but he has been limited to appearances from the bench in recent weeks and was an unused substitute last time out against Middlesbrough on Saturday.
Reports in recent days have suggested that Newcastle United made an enquiry for the Argentine in the summer and are keeping tabs on his situation ahead of the January window.
BBC pundit Carlton Palmer, talking to Football League World, addressed the rumours regarding Alcaraz and Newcastle, suggesting he could leave Southampton in the New Year.
"Newcastle United have made an enquiry about Southampton midfielder Carlos Alcaraz in the summer transfer window and have continued to keep tabs on the player.
"(Eddie) Howe is keen to add to his squad in the January transfer window as they're in four competitions and there's a lot of games ahead of them.
"Alcaraz could leave Southampton in the January transfer window – certainly in the summer – if Southampton are not promoted and he's not getting game time.
"Alcaraz scored four goals in 18 Premier League games last season after his £12m move from Racing Club, he's certainly an exciting young talent and he's got a lot of praise from former-managers, one being Harry Redknapp – who knows a player or two – who said 'he's got a really bright future ahead of him'".
How good is Southampton’s Carlos Alcaraz?
Alcaraz, a central midfielder who can also play out wide if needed, appears to be a player who could make a big impact in the Championship. Over the past 12 months, as per FBref, Alcaraz has ranked in the top 1% for midfielders when it comes to shot-creating actions, xG, total shot and successful take-ons.
He’s also ranked highly for key passes, passes into the area and progressive passes, showing how he can make an impact on the ball, with plenty of the data recorded during last season's Premier League campaign.
Therefore, statistically, it isn’t a surprise that a team like Newcastle appear to see plenty of potential in the 20-year-old, so a move to St James’ Park from St Mary’s could be one to keep an eye on over the coming months, and it'll be interesting to see if he soon returns to Martin's starting XI.