Fresh reports indicate that Southampton may be preparing to replace a key player this week. With days left in the January window, there is growing talk that Saints have tabled a bid for Branimir Mlačić and that this could clear the path for Taylor Harwood-Bellis to leave for Everton, as reported yesterday.
Reports from Croatia claim Southampton have made an offer for the 18-year-old centre-back from HNK Hajduk Split. Dalmatinski Portal suggest Saints are serious and that they expect competition. Inter Milan have already moved and are thought to be leading the race, and Roma, Udinese, and Club Brugge are also watching closely.
Inter are said to have offered around five million euros, and Southampton are believed to be close to that figure. The next few days are described as decisive, and the player’s family and agent will help decide his future. Mlačić has made five senior league appearances and has already been called up to the Croatia Under-21 squad, demonstrating his potential and also showing how early this interest is.
Saints could be taking a serious gamble
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That is where concern begins for Southampton. Mlačić is clearly a talent and he may become a top defender in time. He is also 18 and still learning his trade because five league games is not a platform to build a promotion push on. If his arrival is meant to soften the blow of losing Harwood-Bellis then Saints are taking a serious gamble.
Harwood-Bellis has been Southampton’s most consistent centre-back this season. He plays under pressure, and he understands the league. He has brought calm when games have turned messy. Saints are just seven points off the play-offs with 18 matches left, and that matters because the gap is not huge; the Championship is unpredictable.
Selling him now would weaken the side at the exact moment when stability is needed most. Saints already chose to move Ronnie Edwards early in the window, and that decision seems to have already backfired.. To follow that, losing Harwood-Bellis would leave the already fragile back line teetering.
Everton’s interest is not surprising given the lack of quality young central defenders coming through. Harwood-Bellis has shown he belongs at a higher level. He is 23 and under contract until 2028 and Saints are not under pressure to sell.
Are Southampton throwing in the towel on promotion early?
Doncaster Rovers v Southampton – Emirates FA Cup Third Round | Matt Watson/GettyImages
The idea of replacing a proven Championship defender with a teenager from abroad may suit a long term model. It does not suit a season where points are still there to be won and belief still exists among some fans.
If Saints allow this sequence to play out, they risk repeating mistakes made earlier in the window. Planning for the future is important, but protecting the present matters just as much. Selling Harwood-Bellis now would suggest Sport Republic have chosen the balance sheet over promotion and that would be hard to justify to fans if the play-offs remain in reach.
Mlačić may have a bright future and he could be a smart signing in the right context. He should not be used as cover for losing the defender who holds this team together because January is not the time to remove your strongest pillar and hope promise fills the gap.