Southampton have made a £12m bid for 24-year-old Republic of Ireland and Middlesbrough attacking midfielder Finn Azaz. (Daily Mail, external)
Want more transfer news from the EFL? Take a look at Thursday's gossip column here.
Nizaar Kinsella
Football reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesRC Strasbourg, the club owned by Chelsea's BlueCo owners in France, have brought in academy defender Genesis Antwi to pitch their project.
Antwi played in Chelsea's Under-21's win over Manchester City on Monday but could move to Strasbourg on a permanent deal as they target a new right-back signing before deadline day.
Strasbourg also want an attacking option and have contacted representatives of Brighton winger Julio Ensico and Southampton's Sam Edozie.
All today's news and views on the Saints in two minutes.
This update has been created and reviewed by our journalists, using AI to help summarise the most up-to-date Southampton news. It's read aloud by an AI voice.
Dan George
BBC Sport, South
Ryan Fraser speaking to BBC Radio Solent
Southampton's Ryan Fraser has heaped praise onto new boss Will Still and feels they can "go a long way" if the players stick by him.
Saints are unbeaten so far this season, with an opening-day win over Wrexham and on a competitive point away at Ipswich Town.
Fraser has featured in Still's side throughout pre-season and started in both of the first Championship games.
"I have to praise the manager because he told us to forget everything from last season," Fraser told BBC Radio Solent.
"We're doing it his way now and his way is really good. If we stick by each other and we stick by him then we will go a long way for sure.
"Having a pre-season under this manager and him trusting me is massive. Wherever I play I will do it to the best of my ability.
"He and his staff have been top so far. They have ingrained good spirit and a real good feeling here and I think that translates to the pitch."
Fraser provided an assist for his side in Sunday's draw at Portman Road.
The 31-year-old cut in and send a quality ball into the box, where youngster Jay Robinson was on hand to head into the net for his first senior goal.
"Jay has been unbelievable," Fraser added. "As a young player he is playing without fear and he's bedded into the team so good.
"First and foremost he is a great lad away from the pitch and if we keep him fit he will be a massive player for us this season.
"Seeing him come through is nice for me to see. He reminds me of when I was that young, but he's probably better than me!"
If the opening weekend is anything to go by, you don't want to turn this one off early.
Kieran McKenna's Ipswich grabbed a point in the Championship curtain-raiser at Birmingham last Friday with George Hirst's 95th-minute penalty ensuring a 1-1 draw.
Will Still's Saints were trailing 1-0 at home to another newly-promoted side, Wrexham, until the 90th minute when Ryan Manning curled home a sublime free-kick to level it, and Manning then laid on a dramatic winner for Jack Stephens in the sixth minute of stoppage time.
This fixture was a Premier League one last season, but this time the three points might prove pivotal in deciding which, if either, of the clubs make it back to the top-flight this season.
Ipswich Town have won just two of their past nine league games against Southampton (D4 L3), doing the double over the Saints the last time these two sides featured in the Championship in 2023-24.
Southampton have won three of their past four away league games against Ipswich Town (L1), scoring 12 goals in total at Portman Road across that time.
After drawing 1-1 with Birmingham in their opener, Ipswich will be looking to avoid going winless across their opening two Championship matchdays of a campaign for just the second time since 2009-10, also suffering that fate in 2018-19 when they were last relegated from the second tier.
Against Wrexham, Southampton had the highest xG total (4.1), completed the most successful passes (527) and had the highest share of possession (74.4%) in the Championship.
On his Championship debut last weekend, Southampton's Jay Robinson attempted six shots, the joint-most, and had an xG total of 1.1, the most of any player in the competition on the opening day.
Goin' Home with Adam and Jo
"You would like to come off that game winning three or four nil... and they didn't."
BBC Radio Solent's Adam Blackmore and former Saints midfielder Jo Tessem reflect on Southampton's 1-0 Carabao Cup victory over Northampton Town and discuss who suggested they might be capable of playing in Saturday's big showdown with Ipswich Town in the Championship.
Listen to the full episode of Goin' Home and more on BBC Sounds.
Image source, Getty ImagesSouthampton defender Nathan Wood said he is "fighting for his place" in Saints' Championship line-up after their 1-0 victory over Northampton Town in the Carabao Cup.
The 23-year-old was on the bench for Southampton's dramatic 2-1 opening-day win against Wrexham, but made the starting XI and helped to keep a clean sheet against the Cobblers.
"I feel fit, I'm happy to be injury free," Wood told BBC Radio Solent.
"Now I'm just fighting for my place. We've got plenty of talent in the squad. We've got two XIs that are good, that can play in the Championship week-in, week-out.
"It's about being consistent every day - and playing on nights like this, giving it everything I can. That's all I can do."
Wood made 11 Premier League appearances for the Saints last season, including an eight-game run in December and January.
Image source, Getty ImagesWill Still was in charge of Reims and Lens in France before moving to the south coast
New Southampton head coach Will Still praised his side's "grit and determination" in their dramatic win over Wrexham.
Trailing the Championship newcomers heading into the 90th minute, Ryan Manning's free-kick and captain Jack Stephens' 96th minute goal turned the match in their favour.
So instead of beginning with a dispiriting defeat, the Saints began with a euphoric victory.
"Welcome to the Championship! It's just crazy, isn't it?," said Still.
"We were probably a bit frustrated with the way we conceded the first goal. We don't need to lose the ball in that part of the pitch, but those are the things that we can work on."
Southampton only managed two wins all season as they finished bottom of the Premier League, while yesterday's was a first home league success at St Mary's since last November.
Still said: "We were a bit unsure of where the game was going but we got back in control of it, created a few big opportunities, then in the second half, I thought we just took control.
"Playing against a really well organised low block is probably the most difficult thing to do.
"Credit to everyone for sticking at it, and it's good to show a bit of grit and determination."
This content isn't available anymore.
There was an error
"The amount of new managers coming into the league this year, I have never seen anything like it".
Aaron Paul and Jobi McAnuff are joined by special guests Tommy Smith and Alex Bruce to preview the 2025-26 Championship season.
They discuss a range of topics including assessing chances of sides coming down from the Premier League, who the contenders might be for the top six and take a deep dive of each of the sides promoted from League One.
Listen to the full episode of 72+ and more on BBC Sounds.
There may not have been a Hollywood ending to Southampton's season in the Premier League, but there's a Hollywood beginning to their life back in the Championship.
Wrexham head to St Mary's for the opening game of the season (12:30 BST) - the first the Red Dragons will play in the second tier of English football in more than 43 years.
Their extraordinary rise through the divisions, courtesy of back-to-back-to-back promotions under Phil Parkinson, with the much-publicised backing of actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, has Wrexham fans dreaming of yet another push for promotion.
Saints fans are just looking to get back to winning ways after a season in which they lost 30 of their 38 Premier League fixtures, winning only two and accruing 12 points.
New boss Will Still said the club want to 'turn the page' on last season, and what better way to start than in a match sure to capture the attention of millions around the globe.
This is the first meeting in any competition between Southampton and Wrexham since the 1979-80 League Cup second round, when Saints won 5-0 at home and 3-0 away in a two-legged tie.
The last league encounter between Southampton and Wrexham was in April 1960 in the third tier, with the Welsh side winning 2-1 through goals from Ron Harbertson and Bernard Evans.
Southampton have won one of their past 11 opening fixtures of a league campaign (W1, D4, L6), though that sole victory came during their only Championship fixture in that time – a 2-1 victory over Sheffield Wednesday in August 2023.
Wrexham are unbeaten across their past 10 league games (W7, D3), conceding multiple goals in just one of those matches. The Welsh side last had a longer unbeaten stint in the EFL between March and August 2003 (18 games).
Wrexham will play their first second-tier game in 43 years and 86 days when they face Southampton. It is the longest gap between matches in England's second tier since Doncaster Rovers returned in 2008 (50 years and 105 days).
Southampton have failed in an approach for Coventry's 24-year-old midfielder Jack Rudoni, but might come back with another offer. (The Sun, external)
Want more transfer news from the EFL? Take a look at Friday's gossip column here.
Image source, Getty ImagesBBC Sport senior football correspondent Sami Mokbel says those close to Southampton believe Tyler Dibling's time as a Saints player could be coming to an end.
On Wednesday, it was revealed the 19-year-old had been withdrawn from full-contact training by the Championship side.
Speaking on the Football Daily podcast, Mokbel stated that while some people closer to the Everton camp feel the deal has stalled, others suspect that there are still "legs" to it.
"The information varies depending on who you speak to," he said. "If you speak to people closer to Everton, they will tell you that the deal has reached an impasse and Southampton are asking for far too much.
"If you speak to those closer to the South Coast, there is a realisation there that maybe Tyler Dibling's time is coming to an end."
Listen to more about Saints and Dibling on BBC Sounds' Football Daily podcast.
