Premier League

Austin rejects Southampton exit and is set to stay

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Image for Austin rejects Southampton exit and is set to stay

Southampton striker Charlie Austin has sent a message to the club insisting that he is rejecting the opportunity to depart St Mary’s this month and will instead stay on the south coast, according to talkSPORT.

The broadcaster’s reporter Alex Crook, as well as their official Twitter account, has revealed that the hitman, who Sky Sports reported as being at the heart of four Premier League loan bids and given the green light to leave by his current club, has refused the chance to seal an exit in a twist over his future on deadline day on Thursday.

Austin has made 18 appearances across all competitions this season, managing to net just three times.

Opinion

If the player does not want to leave then there is no amount of pushing which will get him out the door but it could have an adverse effect on the Saints for the rest of deadline day. His departure could have cleared out some wages and maybe even brought in a transfer fee to reinvest into the squad but that is simply not going to happen now. Does he think he can forge a future on the south coast? He is very much a Premier League quality player but needs to find a way to get on the score sheet with more regularity – for it is lack of clinical prowess which is likely to have pushed him close to a departure this month. The Southampton fans will likely be happy to see him stay for he is a very hard worker up front and while he might not be netting consistently he does bring other players into the game well, not to mention putting the opposition under constant pressure. 

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