ALAN Pardew has targeted a new central midfielder as one of his summer transfer window priorities.

The Saints manager is woefully short of cover in that area after releasing both Lloyd James and Simon Gillett recently.

Morgan Schneiderlin and Dean Hammond were regulars in central midfield for most of last season, but after that Pardew’s only experienced option is thirtysomething Paul Wotton.

Jason Puncheon has been used in a central midfield role by Pardew, but has shown he is far more effective and dangerous out wide.

Pardew is keen to sign a box to box midfielder who can ideally provide a goalscoring option as well.

He was linked during the January transfer window to two players who almost fit that template.

Saints were keen on signing Winchester-born Brian Stock from Doncaster Rovers, but were not keen on paying the price Rovers placed on his head.

There were also reports linking them with Bristol Rovers’ Chris Lines.

Lines, who signed a new contract last January, bagged 11 goals from central midfield last season.

Stock, on the other hand, failed to score in 2009/10, though he did score eight times the previous season.

Though Schneiderlin and Hammond were very much Pardew’s preferred central midfield options in 2009/10, neither was a consistent scorer.

Scheiderlin only netted once – his sole strike in over 80 league and cup appearances for Saints – while Hammond notched five goals in 40 League One starts.

Wotton, meanwhile, has never scored for Saints in 40 league and cup starts plus another 28 off the bench.

Hammond netted four of his seven league and cup goals for Saints in an 11-match run spanning late October through to early December.

Saints had been linked with Falkirk’s young midfielder Scott Arfield, but this week the player signed for their League One rivals Huddersfield.

The 21-year-old has not been a regular scorer in Scotland, though.

He scored just three times in 2009/10, and two of those were penalties.

Saints were also linked with former St Mary’s favourite Andrew Surman, who only made three Premiership appearances in his maiden season at Wolves.

Elsewhere, Pardew has gone on record as saying he would like to sign a striker as cover for Rickie Lambert.

The manager might need to make two strike signings if Saints cannot agree a new deal with the out of contract David Connolly.

A right-back is also a priority as Pardew does not have any senior player with experience in that position after releasing James,Wayne Thomas, Graeme Murty and Jon Otsemobor.