According to The Athletic, Southampton are set to sell Shane Long this summer.
Long set to leave
The Republic of Ireland striker has been at St Mary’s since 2014, but he joined fellow south coast club Bournemouth on loan during the January transfer window.
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According to this latest report, the veteran marksman is set to leave Southampton on a permanent basis in the summer.
Unsurprising
This news should not come as too much of a surprise. Although Ralph Hasenhuttl called the Republic of Ireland international “really important” last term (Daily Mail), he failed to score in 14 matches in all competitions during the first half of this campaign (Transfermarkt).
Long offers plenty of endeavour even if he is not able to find the back of the net on a regular basis, but 35 goals in 226 games for a Premier League side is clearly not good enough.
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At 34 years of age, he is fast approaching the end of his career – for all involved, it would make plenty of sense for him to leave on a permanent transfer. Hasenhuttl and co, at least, will no doubt wish him all the best wherever he ends up if he is sold in a couple of months’ time.
In other news, many Southampton fans react to this transfer rumour.
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