Southampton fans in the Transfer Tavern were left to rue another disappointing day for their side following the Saints’ loss at Stoke City on Saturday.

Mauricio Pellegrino’s men went into their clash at the bet365 Stadium at the weekend having won just one of their previous four Premier League matches, but they were unable to get back to winning ways thanks to goals from Mame Biram Diouf and Peter Crouch.

Maya Yoshida did equalise for the visitors but they couldn’t find that all important second, and as such had to contend with a third league defeat of the season, all of which came in September.

Their trip to the Potteries also saw the return of centre-back Virgil van Dijk to the starting line-up following the Dutchman’s failed move to Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool.

The 26-year-old moved to St Mary’s back in 2015 and has since gone on to become one of the best defenders in the Premier League, which itself has increased speculation about his future, with the Reds keen on a deal over the summer.

However, no move materialised yet van Dijk’s recent comments suggest that he is still hoping for a move away in January, and here are THREE reasons why the South Coast outfit should cash in on the Netherlands international in the New Year…

Can’t be helpful for the squad

Speculation surrounding van Dijk’s Southampton future has been rumbling on for a while now, which cannot be helpful at all for anyone at the club.

Manager Pellegrino has had some tough decisions to make with regard to the Dutchman, including bringing him back into the fray against Stoke City last weekend, while his clear desire to leave, echoed again earlier this week, can hardly help his teammates.

Van Dijk’s early season efforts haven’t been at the level we’ve seen previously from the centre-back, which perhaps suggests that his mind is elsewhere, and having someone like that around the dressing room and training ground isn’t going to help the other players.

They’d be better off getting rid of the 26-year-old.

Other options more than capable

While van Dijk is obviously an excellent defender and one many sides in the Premier League would want in their side, Southampton have got other centre-back options who are more than capable of filling in.

The Saints signed Wesley Hoedt from Lazio during the summer and he has looked assured at the back alongside Maya Yoshida, who has been a consistent performer for the club for many years now, and has started this term reasonably well also.

Add in young defender Jack Stephens, who linked up well with Yoshida at the rear end of last season, and Pellegrino has several accomplished options to choose from when deciding his centre-back partnership, and thus could do without the Dutchman van Dijk.

Money could be reinvested elsewhere

If van Dijk leaves the club in January, Southampton would be receiving an extortionate sum of money which could be spent on other areas of the squad.

The Saints have struggled scoring goals in recent seasons and thus could look to bring in one or two more strikers to help Manolo Gabbiadini and Charlie Austin, while they could also look to land another centre-half to compensate for van Dijk’s departure.

The figure being banded around recently is of £60 million for the Dutchman, which the South Coast outfit can use to bring in several new and accomplished players to help their squad.

Defensively, they have very few issues even without van Dijk in the side, so cashing in on him and reinvesting further up the field could actually make Southampton a much better team.