Amo-Ameyaw leaves: 3 players Southampton FC should loan out this summer | OneFootball

Southampton's play-off final success over Leeds United this past weekend means that they can now focus their attentions on the transfer market, as they prepare for life in the Premier League.

Russell Martin’s side overcame Leeds at Wembley on Sunday to seal a return to the top-flight at the first attempt. The showdown against Daniel Farke's side was a tense affair, but a brilliant Adam Armstrong finish then saw Saints play Leeds at their own game by keeping them at arm's length for much of the game.

That defensive solidity meant that Martin's men will be in the Premier League next season, though they had to dig in and press well to preserve their clean sheet, as they limited Leeds to few clear-cut chances all afternoon. Many observers saw it as a game that was too close to call, and it was decided by a single goal but was ultimately merited over the course of the 90 minutes.

Promotion comes after Southampton were relegated from the top division the previous season after finishing 20th with a pitiful six wins in 38 league games. In order to be better this time around, they will need to improve the playing squad and hang onto other key players.

Although the focus will now shift to incomings for the most part, there are some players who require first-team football who will almost certainly be heading out of the club on loan for the 2024/25 campaign. Here, we have taken a look at some of the players that should be loaned out this summer in search of regular football.

1 Jayden Meghoma

Famously, Southampton have tended to afford their young players opportunities, and have plenty of players who have come through their ranks and thrived, including the likes of Adam Lallana, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Theo Walcott, and James Ward-Prowse in recent years alone.

Jayden Meghoma is one of the brightest young stars in the club's U-21 side from this season and looks like yet another exciting talent to come off the conveyor belt of academy products.

He's a left-back, which is a big issue for Saints, as they don't have a load of options in that area at the moment, but he's not ready for top-flight football just yet and needs regular football elsewhere first.

Meghoma is gifted but raw, and with Southampton deploying the likes of Ryan Manning, Jack Stephens, Kyle Walker-Peters, and James Bree at left-back at times this season, there is a clear pathway developing for him to the senior set up in years to come.

2 Juan Larios

Injuries haven't helped Juan Larios whatsoever this season, but he is incredibly naturally gifted, as a player who has come through two of the best academies in the world, in both Barcelona and Manchester City.

The young Spaniard has been likened by Ralph Hasenhuttl to Philipp Lahm, which shows the early qualities he has shown in a Southampton shirt at times. He wasn't a cheap signing at £6 million for someone without a senior appearance in the summer of 2022, and has only played five times for Southampton so far, but his ceiling is also high.

Southampton could treble or quadruple their money in years to come if they can get the right development out of the 20-year-old, but the last year has been one of frustration and stagnation for Larios.

Larios has already struggled for game time with the aforementioned left-back options taking the taking up the majority of this season, but he has the talent to make it to a high level, with the likes of Hasenhuttl and Pep Guardiola speaking highly of him previously. He and Meghoma could be battling it out in time for a place in the first-team in that role.

3 Sam Amo-Ameyaw

With Ryan Fraser and David Brooks heading back to their parent clubs in the meantime, Southampton are in need of more depth out wide, with Martin currently suffering from a dearth of options for both flanks, and whilst Sam Amo-Ameyaw is a player that will already be on the lips of many Southampton fans, as the young winger has been part of the squad this season, it may be a season too soon for the Premier League.

The 17-year-old has appeared in eight games already but will surely find game time harder to come by in the top-flight. The player has just come onto the scene at the club, barring one appearance he made in the Premier League last season. He is a player who has a dynamic profile, with lightning pace, a love for taking on defenders, and that raw ability that makes him a dangerous final third threat.

Amo-Ameyaw seems to have a future at the club, and it looks as though he will be part of Southampton's first-team plans in the future if he continues impressing the way he has so far.

However, his ceiling could be enormous and Martin needs to give him the conditions to thrive. Minutes from the bench have been useful, but his career could move forwards rapidly with a loan to the EFL next year, which will unlock more of what the young winger can do on a regular basis.