Southampton have been slow off the mark in terms of their transfer business this summer, not helped by a delay in appointing new manager Russell Martin, but that may be about to change.
Who have Southampton signed?
The Saints confirmed the arrivals of Derrick Abu and Josh McNamara from Chelsea and Manchester City respectively earlier this week, but neither player is expected to challenge for a first-team spot.
Southampton's lack of transfer activity is all the stranger when factoring in that Mislav Orsic has left for Trabzonspor, while the likes of Mohamed Elyounoussi and Theo Walcott are among those to have been released following the club's relegation to the Championship.
Martin's side may be forced to make a move soon, though, as James Ward-Prowse and Romeo Lavia continue to be linked with a return to the Premier League, meaning at least one midfield replacement will have to be brought in.
According to The Guardian, Southampton have made signing West Ham United's Flynn Downes a top priority, with the former Swansea City ace likely to take Lavia's place in midfield.
How good is Flynn Downes?
It is no coincidence that Lavia is reportedly wanted by pretty much each of the Premier League's top-six elite, with Liverpool said to be willing to pay £40m for the 19-year-old, according to Football Insider – though even that may still be £10m below Southampton's valuation.
Lavia stood out in a poor Southampton side last season and ranked in the top 12% of all midfielders across Europe's top five leagues in terms of possession won, as per The Analyst.
The teenager will leave big boots to be filled at St Mary's – as will skipper Ward-Prowse should he also depart – but Flynn looks a good choice to do exactly that.
Downes made very little impact in his first season with West Ham, having arrived from Swansea in a £12m deal last July, but he has proven pedigree in the second tier.
Indeed, the 71.9 passes per 90 minutes Downes completed in the 2021-22 season was the 10th-most of any player in the Championship, as per FBref, while his pass-completion rate of 92.6% was the best in the entire division.
The former England U20 international also led the way for pass-completion percentage among West Ham players in the Premier League last season (87.3), and will clearly bring some composure to Southampton's midfield should he arrive.
But he has many other qualities, plenty of which often go unnoticed. As Martin, who managed Downes at Swansea, put it: "He does the dirty work really well which sometimes goes unsung.
"He enables people to do their roles brilliantly. He plays with no ego at all and knows exactly what his role in the team is."
Doing the dirty work is an aspect Martin will need if Downes – now valued at just £4m by CIES Football Observatory – is indeed going to replace Lavia. With 1.18 tackles per 90 minutes in the middle third last season, Downes ranked second only to Lucas Paqueta (1.51) among Hammers players.
While West Ham may not have seen the best of Downes, the talented midfielder can clearly do a job at Championship level and may just be the player who truly kick-starts Russell's Southampton tenure.