Will Martin want Matt Grimes at Southampton?

The news that Russell Martin has gone to Southampton may still be a short period away from being official but there is already some speculation as to whether Martin will want some of his current charges with him at St Mary’s.

The names of Matt Grimes and Joel Piroe are natural links for joining Martin at Southampton although the cost of the pair of them may prove to be cost prohibitive and Piroe is rumoured to have set his sights on the Premier League should he move away from SA1 this summer.

Grimes though is a different matter.   We should not lose sight of the fact that he was set to leave the Swansea.com stadium when Russell Martin arrived at the club.   It was the summer of 2021 and Grimes was heavily linked with moves away before Martin persuaded the captain to stay and Martin effectively built his team around him.

Grimes has been pretty much ever present in the side in those two years and is an important ally of the manager and that fact should not be overlooked any more than his footballing ability should be.

Making a move to take Grimes to Southampton will make much sense for the soon to be former Swans boss.   Firstly because he knows exactly what he can bring to a football team and with expected exits from Southampton this summer following their relegation there is certainly some room in their midfield for new additions.   Secondly, Martin will need some support in the dressing room.   People who understand him and his methods and that criteria can easily be applied to Grimes.   We know from experience that it takes time for Martin’s methods to work through and if he has one of his trusted players on his side in the playing staff then he may just get a little more allowance for that time which will assist his overall success on the South coast.

The question becomes then if Martin does want Grimes then how much would it set the Saints back.   The viewpoints on the forums and social media varies much and it is hard to put a price on just what the value of Grimes is in the market.   Many would also argue that Grimes is worth more to Swansea than he is in the market and it’s easy to understand that side of the argument especially when you consider just how much Martin did want him to stay when he first arrived in Swansea.

Much of that decision should also depend on the new manager and their viewpoints.    In theory we should not be making any decisions on transfers in or out without someone new being appointed.   Whilst negotiation on transfers do not sit with the manager then the final say on who negotiations should be about always should be.   It would feel counter productive to me if Grimes were to be sold before any input from the new manager.

For what it is worth, and I say this from a position of no inside knowledge I do think Martin will be keen to keep his current club captain close to his side.   However, if that is the case and we do decide that we want to listen to offers then we should not deal on the cheap and we should not deal until we have made a new appointment.   And we most definitely should not deal unless we have an adequate replacement lined up.

Of course this is all an irrelevant point until Martin is officially confirmed.   Whenever that may be!