Southampton

Striker Will Lankshear is attracting interest from Southampton. The 21-year-old Tottenham forward spent last season on loan with Oxford, scoring 11 Championship goals. (Darren Whitcoop), external

You can find more of Monday's EFL gossip here.

Image source, Getty Images

Southampton beat National League neighbours Eastleigh 3-1 in their annual pre-season friendly at the Silverlake Stadium on Saturday.

Tonda Eckert's side had to come from behind in the game after Spitfires defender Nick Akoto fired the hosts ahead after 14 minutes.

Saints then levelled it up thanks to new signing Lewis Dobbin before academy forward Nicholas Oyekunle headed the visitors ahead.

Midfielder Romeo Akachukwu, 19, then added a third to ensure Saints' first pre-season match ended with a win.

Eckert and his players will now head to Germany to continue their preparation for the new Championship campaign with games scheduled against Eintracht Braunschweig and Preussen Munster.

Leeds are set to be joined by Crystal Palace in the race to sign £30m rated Southampton and Northern Ireland midfielder Shea Charles, 22. (Football Insider, external)

Want more transfer news from the EFL? Take a look at Thursday's gossip column here.

Southampton have made an approach for Como striker Ivan Azon, 23, after the former Spain under-21 international helped Ipswich Town earn promotion last season. (Fabrizio Romano via X), external

Want more transfer news from the EFL? Take a look at Wednesday's gossip column here.

A new episode of BBC Radio Solent's Saints Social podcast is now available.

Jono Holmes is joined by BBC South Today's Lewis Coombes and The Daily Echo's Saints Reporter Dan Hargreaves to discuss how Southampton's summer is unfolding.

They dive into the FA investigation into Spygate, the potential signing of Lewis Dobbin, and what business still needs to be done in the transfer market.

Listen below or on BBC Sounds here - and don't forget to subscribe to get each episode into your My Sounds feed.

Explore more Southampton content on BBC Sounds

Sporting, Wolves and Southampton have all had approaches turned down for Tottenham's 21-year-old striker Will Lankshear. He has represented England at youth level and spent last season on loan at Oxford United. (Football.London), external

Sporting, Wolves and Southampton have all had approaches turned down for Tottenham's 21-year-old striker Will Lankshear. He has represented England at youth level and spent last season on loan at Oxford United. (Football.London), external

Southampton are set to battle Premier League newcomers Hull City for the signing of Werder Bremen striker Justin Njinmah, 25. (Bild - via subscription, in German, external)

Want more transfer news from the EFL? Take a look at Tuesday's gossip column here.

Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Aston Villa forward Lewis Dobbin is close to a move to Southampton for almost £9m.

The Saints have beaten a number of Championship clubs, including Middlesbrough, to the 23-year-old.

Dobbin has never played for Villa since a £10m move from Everton in 2024 and spent last season on loan at Preston.

He scored 11 times in 41 appearances for North End while he also had loan spells at West Brom and Norwich.

Dobbin joined Villa two years ago as midfielder Tim Iroegbunam moved to the Toffees in a separate deal as the clubs looked to comply with Profit and Sustainability regulations.

Southampton are preparing for another season in the Championship after they were kicked out of the play-offs having spied on Middlesbrough before their semi-final in May.

The Saints admitted they spied on three clubs during the Championship season.

Southampton are set to beat Wolves to the £9m signing of Aston Villa winger Lewis Dobbin, 23, who shone on loan at Preston last season. (Football League World, external)

Want more transfer news from the EFL? Take a look at Monday's gossip column here.

Feeling ready for the new season yet, Saints fans?

After long summer holidays for those Southampton players not at the World Cup, pre-season got underway this week for the 2026-27 Championship campaign.

Part of that preparation involved heading to Southampton Solent University for some fitness testing.

Notable names back with the group were Aaron Ramsdale and Ben Brereton Diaz, who both spent last season out on loan.

The likes of Flynn Downes, Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Ryan Manning were also seen on treadmills with masks on their faces as their health and fitness metrics were measured.

Sports science consultant Bailey Cameron joined BBC Radio Solent to reveal exactly what the Saints players were put through at the campus facilities.

Find more Southampton pre-season and transfer content on BBC Sounds.

Image source, Getty Images

Seven English Football League players went out of the World Cup over the course of the weekend.

Wolves striker Raul Jimenez and West Ham defender Edson Alvarez were in the Mexico team which lost 3-2 to England in a thrilling last-16 contest at the Azteca Stadium in the early hours of Monday morning.

Jimenez netted three times for his nation at the tournament, including a 69th-minute penalty against the Three Lions, but will now return to Molineux to prepare for the Championship season after signing from Fulham this summer.

Southampton forward Cyle Larin and Norwich City midfielder Ali Ahmed both featured for Canada in their last-16 encounter with Morocco on Saturday, but could not prevent the co-hosts from suffering a 3-0 defeat.

Larin scored two goals in the group stages for Canada to help them progress to the knockouts for the first time in their history, while Middlesbrough defender Alfie Jones was also part of the squad but did not play.

Leicester City duo Jordan Ayew and Abdul Fatawu played for Ghana in their 1-0 loss to Colombia in the last 32 on Saturday.

Image source, Getty Images

Into the round of 16 we go at the World Cup and we still have some English Football League stars searching for international glory.

Here is where you can catch your players as we enter the next knock-out stage:

Saturday, 4 July

Alfie Jones, Middlesbrough - Canada v Morocco (18:00 BST)

Ali Ahmed, Norwich City - Canada v Morocco (18:00 BST)

Cyle Larin, Southampton - Canada v Morocco (18:00 BST)

Sunday, 5 July

Sondre Langas, Derby County - Brazil v Norway (21:00 BST)

Egil Selvik, Watford - Brazil v Norway (21:00 BST)

David Moller Wolfe, Wolves - Brazil v Norway (21:00 BST)

Monday, 6 July

Raul Jimenez, Wolves - Mexico v England (01:00 BST)

Jose Sa, Wolves - Portugal v Spain (20:00 BST)

Tuesday, 7 July

Zeki Amdouni, Burnley - Switzerland v Colombia (21:00 BST)

Image source, Getty Images

The two South Coast derbies between Southampton and Portsmouth next season have both been moved to Sunday kick-offs.

The game at St Mary's will now go ahead on Sunday, 11 October (12:00 BST) with the return at Fratton Park on Sunday, 28 February (12:00 GMT).

The two sides met last season in the Championship for the first time since the 2011-12 campaign following Southampton's relegation from the Premier League.

Both games ended in draws with a goalless stalemate at St Mary's in September and a 1-1 draw at Fratton Park in January.

The last league win by either side in the derby came in April 2005 when Portsmouth won 4-1 in the Premier League.

Image source, Getty Images

West Ham winger Crysencio Summerville saw his shot saved during a dramatic penalty shootout against Morocco to knock the Netherlands out of the World Cup on Tuesday.

Summerville had provided the assist for Cody Gakpo's opener in the 72nd minute, but Morocco equalised in the 91st to force extra time.

Both sides had missed two previous penalties before the 24-year-old stood up to take the fifth for the Dutch side; however Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou denied him, and Ismael Saibari then sealed the win for their opponents.

Burnley's Lyle Foster will also be heading home after South Africa succumbed to a 1-0 defeat to Canada.

However, the win for the North American side does mean three English Football League players have made it through to the round of 16 in the World Cup.

Southampton striker Cyle Larin and Ali Ahmed of Norwich City both featured for Canada in the group stage but were unused substitutes for Sunday's knock-out match alongside Middlesbrough's Alfie Jones.

Canada next faces Morocco in Texas on Saturday at 18:00 BST.

Image source, Getty Images

We have reached the knock-out rounds of the World Cup but there are still plenty of players from the English Football League representing their country.

Here is where you can watch them in the round of 32:

Sunday, 28 June

• Lyle Foster, Burnley - South Africa v Canada (20:00 BST)

• Alfie Jones, Middlesbrough - South Africa v Canada (20:00 BST)

• Ali Ahmed, Norwich City - South Africa v Canada (20:00 BST)

• Cyle Larin, Southampton - South Africa v Canada (20:00 BST)

Tuesday, 30 June

• Crysencio Summerville, West Ham - Netherlands v Morocco (02:00 BST)

• Sondre Langas, Derby County - Ivory Coast v Norway (18:00 BST)

• Egil Selvik, Watford - Ivory Coast v Norway (18:00 BST)

• David Moller Wolfe, Wolves - Ivory Coast v Norway (18:00 BST)

• Hjalmar Ekdal, Burnley - France v Sweden (22:00 BST)

• Jacob Widell Zetterstrom, Derby County - France v Sweden (22:00 BST)

• Viktor Johansson, Stoke City - France v Sweden (22:00 BST)

Wednesday, 1 July

• Edson Alvarez, West Ham - Mexico v Ecuador (02:00 BST)

• Raul Jimenez, Wolves - Mexico v Ecuador (02:00 BST)

• Axel Tuanzebe, Burnley - England v DR Congo (17:00 BST)

• Edo Kayembe, Watford - England v DR Congo (17:00 BST)

• Aaron Wan-Bissaka, West Ham - England v DR Congo (17:00 BST)

• El-Hadji Malick Diouf, West Ham - Belgium v Senegal (21:00 BST)

Friday, 3 July

• Jose Sa, Wolves - Portugal v Croatia (00:00 BST)

• Zeki Amdouni, Burnley - Switzerland v Algeria (04:00 BST)

• Harry Souttar, Leicester City - Australia v Egypt (19:00 BST)

• Mohamed Toure, Norwich City - Australia v Egypt (19:00 BST)

• Cameron Burgess, Swansea City - Australia v Egypt (19:00 BST)

• Nestory Irankunda, Watford - Australia v Egypt (19:00 BST)

Saturday, 4 July

• Abdul Fatawu, Leicester City, Colombia v Ghana (02:30 BST)

Southampton are in advanced talks to sign midfielder Dan Neil. He helped Ipswich win promotion back to the Premier League last season but is a free agent after being released by his parent club, Sunderland. (Keith Downie - Sky Sports), external

Want more EFL transfer gossip? Read more of Friday's headlines here.

The EFL fixture list is out, and we know you are bursting to know what you've got to look forward to - or dread - from your team this upcoming season.

Here are some key dates to put in your diary:

• 16 August 2026 - Watford (A)

• 22 August 2026 - Stoke City (H)

• 10 October 2026 - Portsmouth (H)

• 28 November 2026 - Middlesbrough (H)

• 26 December 2026 - Charlton Athletic (A)

• 1 January 2027 - Cardiff City (H)

• 27 February 2027 - Portsmouth (A)

• 13 March 2027 - Middlesbrough (A)

• 1 May 2027 - Sheffield United (H)

See Southampton's full fixture list here.