RALPH Hasenhuttl has sent Armando Broja the warning “there are a lot of examples where players, after changing clubs, do not perform like they have with us,” amid a potential battle for his future.
There was no movement on Saints’ position on the Chelsea loanee as the January transfer window came and went, with Broja always set to remain at St Mary’s for at least this campaign.
Despite reports of interest from a number of Premier League rivals, as well as the potential for Chelsea to want to keep hold of the 20-year-old, Saints still retain an interest in keeping him permanently.
CEO Martin Semmens is in constant contact with Blues over what Broja’s next move will be, with all options thought to be considered by Saints in a bid to keep him longer.
However, Hasenhuttl was asked again if he was worried about the Albanian’s future and this time sent the striker a warning that the grass is not always greener.
“He knows how important it is for him as a player to play continuously,” Hasenhuttl responded, unmoved by suggestions of heightened interest elsewhere.
“Here he gets that chance and has shown he fits to us and our shape.
“There are a lot of examples where players after changing clubs do not perform like they have done with us.”
The Austrian added: “It is important he knows this and that his agent knows this.
“We have a good relationship with Chelsea and are in good contact. He is their player. We have tried to develop him here, and I think we have.
“If they think we should do it another year and do not want to sell him in the summer, then there is no better spot to be,” he added, suggesting that Saints will lead the race for a further loan spell, if that is to be Chelsea’s decision.
“It is not always in our hands and if he or the club have any other ideas, it is how it is.”
Hasenhuttl could be pointing to any number of Saints stars that he and the club have sold on who have not yet matched the heights they hit wearing red and white.
From the recent summer exodus, Ryan Bertrand and Jannik Vestergaard have failed to impress under Leicester City boss Brendan Rodgers after forcing Saints exits.
Leicester 3-1 up vs Liverpool and bring on Bertrand and Vestergaard.
— Alfie House (@AlfieHouseEcho) December 22, 2021
20 mins later: 3-3, Bertrand misses final, crucial penalty and they’re out. #SaintsFC pic.twitter.com/0hg4prsapt
Meanwhile, Danny Ings – who Aston Villa parted with £30million to acquire in August – has only registered four goals in 16 Premier League appearances, with two of those coming in the first two matches of the campaign.
But that exodus, which led to many outside of the club tipping Saints for a relegation battle, is exactly why Hasenhuttl was so pleased that not one Saints player wanted to leave this January.
“Maybe it is because everybody sees we are in a very positive way, in a developing way and we are getting better,” he speculated.
“We have some young players who are getting better and are getting better as a team. The mentality has changed a little bit.
“When we stay on this track, we have a lot of positive surprises possible with this club. This is why everybody wants to be with us now and we try to give every player the atmosphere to develop.”
Hasenhuttl added: “If somebody thinks he wants to go somewhere else and we cannot keep him, then there are other players around.
“The most important thing for us is we have an image as a club that develops players fantastically.
19🎂🥳! Let’s keep working & moving forward. Thank you for all your support as always. pic.twitter.com/g0c6kWo4Rr
— tino livramento (@tino_livramento) November 12, 2021
“That is worth more than all the money you can pay a player because, especially for the young lads, and there are a lot of talented players in England, they do not get a chance to play somewhere.
“They are highly welcome, and they are phoning us asking us to take them and give them a chance to play.”
Those comments lead to Hasenhuttl being asked if Saints are no longer a ‘selling club’, although the boss somewhat rejected that notion as an outright negative.
“It will never change because there will always be a bigger club than we are,” he said.
“It is a good sign that they are looking at us because it means we are doing a good job here because otherwise they wouldn’t.
“When they leave here, they are different players to when they are arrived. This is what we try to do.”
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