According to a recent report from The Daily Echo, Harrison Reed looks set to leave Southampton this month. The midfielder came up through the ranks at St Mary’s and has since gone on to appear 30 times for the Saints, although he spent last season on loan at Championship side Norwich City to suggest that he isn’t particularly high up in the midfield pecking order. 

And reports suggest that the 23-year-old could be off this month, and with that seeming an increasingly likely possibility, fellow Saints teammate Matt Targett, valued at £6.3 million by Transfermarkt, should seek to follow Reed out of Southampton by the end of the month.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, 23-year-old Reed was shipped out on loan to Daniel Farke’s Norwich very early in the summer window last year to suggest that he wasn’t in former boss Mauricio Pellegrino’s plans for the Saints going forward, although the midfielder did reasonably well at Carrow Road in appearing 43 times for the Canaries, netting once and laying on four assists.

And while a new manager in Hughes could well have brought about a change in fortunes for the former England Under-21 international, the fact that he is willing to sanction his departure this month suggests that his immediate prospects at St Mary’s are very bleak indeed.

As are those of left back Targett, who was another to benefit from time on loan last season in helping Fulham win promotion to the Premier League.

The 22-year-old mustered just two league appearances for the Saints in the early phase of last season to underline his lowly position in the pecking order, eventually resulting in the Englishman earning a move to Slavisa Jokanovic’s Cottagers, where he certainly shone.

The left back featured in all 21 matches Fulham played following his arrival in January to underline just how integral he was to the London side in their pursuit of Premier League football, a goal Targett helped them to achieve as they beat Aston Villa in the play-off final.

And while he has likely returned to Southampton a better player for his experiences at Craven Cottage, he simply isn’t going to dispose Ryan Bertrand of the left back slot in Hughes’ side - and a season on the bench at St Mary’s isn’t going to help his development.

As such, while Targett appears to be the next in command were Bertrand to get injured or suspended, he needs first team football to continue developing into the excellent left back his potential suggests he could be - he did that last season at Fulham.

And with Reed seemingly off this month, Targett must seek to follow his teammate’s lead by leaving Southampton before the end of August.

Southampton fans… what do you think? Let us know!