Joe Rothwell opens up on his Southampton future following the end of his loan spell | OneFootball

The midfielder joined the Saints during the January transfer window, arriving in a bid to help the club gain promotion to the Premier League.

The 29-year-old had struggled for game time with the Cherries prior to his move to St. Mary’s, where he went on to feature 16 times in the regular Championship season (all stats from Fbref).

Rothwell also featured off the bench in the team’s 3-1 second leg win over West Brom in the play-off semi-finals, his last appearance for the club before the end of his loan.

With the summer market set to open next month, it remains unclear whether a move back to the Hampshire outfit is on the cards.

Joe Rothwell opens up on his future following Southampton loan

Rothwell admitted that the loan move didn’t quite pan out as he had hoped, even though promotion was secured by the club.

He made just four starts for Russell Martin’s side, perhaps not receiving the regular game time he was looking for.

"Promotion was the end goal for why I came here,” said Rothwell, via the Daily Echo.

"Thankfully we've managed to do that.

“The loan move has probably not gone quite as I would have liked it to.

"I've tried to contribute in ways that I can when I could.

“Thankfully we managed to get the job done in the end."

Rothwell offered a hint over his future now that his loan move had concluded, indicating a discussion will need to be had with Bournemouth soon to decide his next step.

"I think it's very much up in the air,” he added.

"I've obviously got to go back to Bournemouth.

“I will have conversations with them and see where they see me.

"We will take it from there really. I'm not thinking about that.

“We have just got promoted so it's time to enjoy it for the next couple of days.

"Then I will get away with the family to relax and then come back ready to go.

"There has been no immediate conversation.

“As I said, the season is over now and I'm thankful it has ended in the way we wanted it to.”

Rothwell made just 11 appearances for Bournemouth in the Premier League prior to his January move to St. Mary’s, including on three starts.

The player’s contract runs until the summer of 2026, but the Cherries could cash in this year in order to get him off their books.

Joe Rothwell move to Southampton seems unlikely

Now that Southampton have been promoted, it seems unlikely that Rothwell will be signing on a permanent basis.

He filled a useful squad role for Martin’s team during the second half of the campaign, but did not do enough to justify purchasing on a long-term basis.

A permanent move away from Bournemouth would be best for Rothwell at this stage of his career, but he may need to remain in the Championship in order to receive regular game time.

Southampton will have greater priorities in the transfer market than Rothwell, even just from turning loan moves into permanent deals as they will surely want to keep Flynn Downes for next season, for example.