Southampton’s Cornet Deal ‘Looks Even Worse’ Amid Loan Opportunity

The Ivorian’s poor start to the Premier League season makes Southampton’s purchase for Maxwel Cornet “look even

worse,” according to journalist Alfie House, given Brighton striker Evan Ferguson’s unexpected loan availability.

Southampton lost 3-2 to league leaders Liverpool over the weekend, reducing their lead in the second half. Russell

Martin’s individual efforts were especially alarming.

But Cornet was nowhere to be found on Sunday, missing Martin’s matchday team for the third consecutive one. On

On September 30, he made his final appearance in a 3-1 defeat to Bournemouth.

If Southampton were to fight for Ferguson’s arrival on a temporary deal in January, they would need to cancel one of

the two contracts they signed during the summer transfer window, which included season-long loans for Chelsea

midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu and Cornet. In response to Cornet’s lacklustre tenure under Martin, House turned to X

to vent his annoyance, saying that the Saints’ choice to loan the Ivorian now “looks even worse” given Ferguson’s

rumoured January transfer availability. Since joining on loan in the last week of the transfer window, the 28-year-old

has had difficulty finding consistent playing time at St. Mary’s and has only played 71 minutes for Southampton this season.

According to Premier League regulations, teams are only permitted to register a maximum of two players on loan at

any given time, and a maximum of four loans may be registered in a single season.

Southampton, the division’s lowest-scoring team, has only scored nine goals in their opening 12 games as Martin is

under increasing pressure.

With just four points out of 36 available, the Saints’ loss to Liverpool on Sunday left them at the bottom of the

Premier League standings.

With a trip to Brighton and a match against Chelsea at home over the next seven days, Southampton is currently five

points outside of safety heading into two more difficult tests.