Southampton must listen to Kyle Walker-Peters and seal West Ham transfer: View | OneFootball

Southampton’s 3-0 win over Preston North End on Tuesday has brought them firmly back into the automatic promotion race.

A few weeks ago, it looked as though the Saints were firmly out of the race, but dropped points from Ipswich Town, Leicester City, and Leeds United meant Southampton have gained ground, and their games in hand give them a slight advantage.

Three points on Tuesday now mean they are four points behind second place Leicester, with their game in hand being against the Foxes.

So, the top two race is firmly on, and that will mean manager Russell Martin is looking at his experienced, more important players to step up and show that they can deal with the pressure.

One player who has been outstanding for the Saints throughout this whole campaign is midfielder Flynn Downes.

Southampton signed the midfielder on loan for the season, and defender Kyle Walker-Peters has come out and said he would love Downes to be part of the team once again next season - even if the full-back himself will probably move on should promotion not be secured.

The Saints should take note and make him a permanent addition, whether they are in the Premier League or Championship next season.

Kyle Walker-Peters has been with Southampton since 2020, when he joined the club from Tottenham Hotspur.

Therefore, the defender has been with the club through the highs and the lows, and he will hope this season ends with another high.

Walker-Peters has been one of Southampton’s key players this season, but he has recently gone on to express what midfielder Flynn Downes does for the team and why he has been so important for them.

The defender also goes on to say that he would love to play with Downes again next season, but knows that remains out of his hands.

Walker-Peters told the Daily Echo following the Saints' win over Watford at the weekend: “He was there, and he's done it again for the team. He felt a bit disappointed with their second goal. So he's probably given it his all there, and thankfully, he's got the winner for us. He’s shown how much of a top player he is.

"He's still young, and whatever happens, I'd love to play with him next season. But that's out of my hands.

"It's a really key position, especially in our team. The amount of demand on the number six on and off the ball is tough. He's been excellent this season, so we'll see what happens.”

Southampton must do all they can to seal West Ham agreement for Flynn Downes

Southampton will currently be putting any transfer plans on hold, as they will want all their concentration to be on the remaining league games of the season and finding out where they are playing football next season.

But some transfer deals can still be done even if the club doesn’t reach the Premier League, and midfielder Flynn Downes fits into that category.

The Saints signed the 25-year-old on a season-long loan deal in the summer after losing James Ward-Prowse to West Ham.

Downes had been with the Hammers since 2022 but has struggled to feature regularly for the club. So, joining Southampton was a chance for him to play more football and show West Ham what he could offer, and it also reunited him with Russell Martin, who had developed him at Swansea.

The midfielder has certainly played plenty of football on the south coast, as he’s been an outstanding performer for the Championship side.

Downes has started 30 of the 31 games he has appeared in, averaging 79 minutes per game, and is currently operating at a Sofascore rating of 7.12.

The loanee has two goals to his name, which is higher than his xG (Expected Goals), which stands at 0.65, and with the chances he has and the goals he has scored, he has a pretty good goal conversion rate, which is 20%.

As well as the goals, Downes has contributed to creating chances, as he’s created six big chances, which has helped him collect two assists.

But as well as impressing in the attacking side, the midfielder has also shown his defensive ability. Downes is averaging an impressive 1.5 interceptions per game, as well as 1.9 tackles per game, and has recovered the ball 5.2 times per game, as per Sofascore.com.

It's clear to see that Downes has really excelled playing under Russell Martin, and he is the type of player the Southampton manager likes having in his team, someone who is comfortable on the ball and can be good in both boxes.

Given the stats, it is easy to understand why Walker-Peters wants to play with the player again next season, and whether they earn promotion or not, signing Downes should be a priority in the summer.

Downes doesn’t look like he has a future at West Ham, and therefore, the Saints should push to get a deal done, as he would be an excellent signing and would help the team in either division.