Sam Wallace of The Telegraph has revealed that Shane Long will sign a new contract.
The journalist broke the news midway through an article outlining how the Saints ‘expect’ Ralph Hasenhuttl to commit his future to the club, while ‘major changes’ to the squad have been forecast for the summer.
A number of key players at St Mary’s find themselves out of contract either this summer or next summer.
Long’s deal is set to expire at the end of the current campaign, while Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg will see his terms run out in the summer of 2021, the same time as Hasenhuttl’s current deal ends.
While the former RB Leipzig boss has called for contract discussions for himself and his players to be put on ice until the club reach 36 points in the Premier League, Wallace has let a key piece of information out.
What did he say?
Midway through his article, Wallace wrote: “Currently on a run of 16 points from their last eight games, including a win over Leicester at the King Power last month, the club believe they can move up from 13th and secure a top ten finish come May. They also have the future of a number of players to resolve once safety has been achieved.
“Striker Shane Long, whose current deal expires in the summer, will sign an extension and stay beyond this season.”
Good to keep him around
That second paragraph is pretty telling: Shane Long “will sign an extension and stay beyond this season.”
In that case, it is a good move from the Saints.
While the former Reading, West Brom and Hull striker hasn’t been the first name on Hasenhuttl’s teamsheet this season by any means – he has made only nine Premier League starts – Long has still popped up with valuable moments which have proved his worth.
His flick-on allowed Ryan Bertrand to bundle home a crucial goal in a 2-1 win over Norwich earlier this season, a game which was a relegation six-pointer at the time.
Since then, the 33-year-old has also managed to grab a vital assist in the 2-1 win over Leicester, while also scoring in defeats against Wolves and Tottenham – both losses ended by a 3-2 scoreline.
Someone’s got to own them: Who do these incredibly unwanted PL records belong to?
With Danny Ings on fire – he has 17 goals in all competitions this term – it is important for Hasenhuttl to have a striker who isn’t going to be banging his door down for starts, but instead one who is happy to step in every now and again and also one who can be effective in those occasional outings.
In Long, that is exactly what the Austrian coach has at his disposal.
In other news, a journalist has fired a warning to Southampton’s board over Ralph Hasenhuttl’s future…
