SAINTS academy director Andy Goldie hinted at further new signings as he assessed more than six months under new leadership.

Director of football Jason Wilcox hired Swansea City's Goldie to start work as Matt Hale's replacement at the start of July 2023. 

The academy has begun to implement Russell Martin's style of play through the age groups with new coaching hires down the system. 

Goldie and Wilcox also had the task of replacing the former academy recruiters, with Jack Chapman also joining from the Swans. 

They have signed players such as Thierry Rohart-Brown, 16, from Reading, Joe O'Brien Whitmarsh, 18, from Cork City, and Ussumane Djalo, 19, from Porto.

In a new interview with the club, Goldie explained: "We'll always look internally first.

"We'll look internal and if we don't have that profile of a player within the building then ultimately we'll go and find it elsewhere. 

"I think Jack (Chapman), Simon (Jones), and the team have done a magnificent job in recruiting some top talent. We're not done yet."

Goldie continued: "There's still a couple of targets we're working on at this moment in time but we'll keep working on them."

Saints have also announced more than a dozen first professional contracts or deal extensions within the last seven months. 

They include Sam Amo-Ameyaw, Tyler Dibling, Jayden Meghoma - who have all played for Martin's first team. 

However, Kami Doyle, 18, departed Saints after a decade to join Brighton in a deal understood to be worth more than £2.5million. 

Goldie insisted: "It's rewarding that we get families and players buying into the development process and committing their future.

"We've got some of our top talents now secured, long-term. Ultimately, not everyone buys into that, unfortunately. And that's fine."

"If players and families' values don't align with ours, if they don't offer as much commitment as we offer then they're better off moving on, unfortunately.

"But we'll focus on the positives and it's been magnificent for us to have Tyler (Dibling), Barnaby (Williams), Jadon (Moore) sign." 

Saints academy staff have also worked to reduce the number of players stalling in development in the professional development phase.

For those who need to forge a senior career away from Saints, they have been swift in finding and negotiating sales.

The likes of Kazeem Olaigbe, Jack Bycroft and Ryan Finnigan have left permanently - with Saints often retaining sell-on percentage clauses. 

"It's magnificent that we've seen Jack and Kazeem in particular move on and take their first proper step in building a professional football career," Goldie said. 

"We take great pride in that as well. Our job is not only to produce players for Southampton's first team, it's to do what's right for each person.

"In those cases, it is to make sure we give the boys the best opportunity of having a career in the game if it's not going to be here.

"For the ones that have taken those first steps here, we've seen some great involvement for some of our youngsters in the first team.

"I think that all comes from Jason, as director of football, through into Russell in the first team, and then myself in the academy. 

"When you've got the three of us so aligned in what we believe the profile should look like, the player development experience they have, the opportunity presents itself.

"It's been great to see them grab that opportunity. 

"We've got so many young boys training around the first team in that environment because they've earned the opportunity and they've gone and grabbed it when it's there."