Manchester City and Southampton agreed a unique deal involving Taylor Harwood-Bellis on transfer deadline day.
The Citizens and the Saints shook hands on a loan deal for the England Under-21 international, which also includes a £20m obligation for Southampton to buy him if they earn promotion from the Championship, according to the BBC.
As things stand, however, Manchester City look likely to welcome Taylor Harwood-Bellis back to the Etihad Stadium next summer…
What’s the story?
Well, that £20m obligation to buy in the event of promotion is now looking very, very unlikely to be triggered, unless Russell Martin can turn things around at St Mary’s.
Southampton are currently languishing 15th in the Championship after a dreadful start to the season, following a run of just three wins in eight games so far.
Harwood-Bellis has started Southampton’s last three Championship outings, tasting defeat in all of them as Martin’s side conceded seven goals across those outings.
Therefore, it is safe to say that things are not exactly going to plan for the 21-year-old down on the south coast.
Taylor Harwood-Bellis struggles bode well for Manchester City
In our view, there are positives to be taken from Harwood-Bellis enduring a tough start to life at Southampton.
Loan moves are designed for young talents to get vital experience in senior football, and sometimes, it is more beneficial for those experiences to be negative, as it builds character.
Harwood-Bellis needs to be almost perfect to get a chance under Pep Guardiola, with the likes of Ruben Dias, Manuel Akanji, Nathan Ake, Josko Gvardiol and John Stones in the centre-back department.
Therefore, it will be interesting to see if the Stockport-born defender can overcome this rocky start to life at Southampton, and drag the Saints towards the top of the Championship.
For now – however – Manchester City look more likely to be welcoming their academy graduate back to the Etihad Stadium next summer, missing out on that £20m fee in the process.
