Southampton will take their time before deciding Sam Gallagher`s future this summer. Their new manager, Mark Hughes, is refusing to make plans beyond May with his side still battling relegation.
Gallagher is contracted at St. Mary`s until June 2021. It has recently been suggested that Southampton may be willing to sell the 22-year-old permanently but the figures bandied about were highly inflated. Blues paid over £1m to secure his services on loan this season and with his wages thrown into the mix, the total outlay of the deal equates to approximately £2.5m.
After a difficult start to his spell at St. Andrews, Gallagher settled down and contributed with some vital goals over the festive period. In 31 appearances this term, his return of seven goals doesn`t stand out as a great return but the figures don`t tell the entire story.
The Saints youth academy has produced a high number of quality players in recent years and Gallagher is highly rated within their system.
His style of play points towards that of a traditional English centre forward which we`ve seen evidence of in fits and spurts. But Gallagher hasn`t had it all his own way since arriving in the second city. The team struggled under the weight of expectation while Harry Redknapp was at the helm and his replacement, Steve Cotterill, experimented and eventually pushed the Devon-born striker into an unfamiliar wide berth which, understandably, adversely affected his influence on games.
Leeds United and Aston Villa were thought to be showing an interest in Gallagher before he joined Blues. One reportedly had a £5m offer rejected and the other was unwilling to pay the hefty loan fee that Redknapp and the transfer committee eventually gave the green light to.
Since Garry Monk took over at Blues, Gallagher has started one game and has made one appearance from the bench and it appears the new manager fancies the more robust Lukas Jutkiewicz.
With Monk in a similar situation to Hughes at Southampton – in terms of him being unable to set future plans in motion during the midst of a relegation scrap – conversations between the two clubs are not forthcoming. Indeed, it is unknown whether lengthening Gallagher`s stay in something Monk is open to.
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