Future Saints captain material leaves fans confused with Championship hint | OneFootball

Harwood-Bellis remained tight-lipped on his Southampton career but his Championship comments are hinting at his summer exit.

Southampton's promotional charge was successfully undertaken by a centre-back captain Jack Stephens. In the Premier League, his leadership armband was passed onto Jan Bednarek who is another centre-back by trade.

Hence, it isn't a vague guess that Southampton will again turn to their defensive generals for their captaincy role. Further, even football's unwritten rules also suggest that the ones commanding the backline could be better suited to lead the entire lineup.

Thus, all signs pinpoint that Taylor Harwood-Bellis is a ready-made captain material with the Saints which sounds like a proper next step in his career.

But, that's only possible if Harwood-Bellis either turns a blind eye to the widening transfer interest in him or forgets the collective suffering he has witnessed at Southampton.

Nothing can be concretely assumed about the former but sadly, the latter situation might not happen for the Saints. Harwood-Bellis has made significant promotional strides in recent years, thus, this relegation has visibly made him upset.

Double promotion comment suggests resistance to another attempt

Expressing these feelings, the Daily Echo quoted Harwood-Bellis confessing: "For me personally, to go from two seasons of winning and then have a season like this is difficult. But it's going to make me stronger."

Now, Harwood-Bellis made his unhappiness clear but left out his Southampton future in doubt. That's because gaining the Premier League status from the Championship is a dreamy situation but it isn't an achievement that players aim to repeat further.

As the 23-year-old reflected, he has taken the top-flight jump twice meaning he has fulfilled more than his fair share of second-division responsibilities.

Therefore, Harwood-Bellis may be more inclined towards striving for an extended Premier League career rather than keep fighting for the same Championship objective again and again. In short, the Saints must remain prepared to expect a farewell message from him unless Harwood-Bellis himself confirms he's going nowhere.

Agreed, it's a confusing stance from the central defender but it's the price Southampton need to pay for dropping down the Premier League.