Southampton have confirmed George Long’s signing as new backup keeper while James Bree’s contract extension announcement wait goes on.
Last weekend, Southampton announced Daniel Peretz’s permanent €7m signing from Bayern Munich and hinted Cyle Larin’s signing. Very soon, the Saints confirmed Larin’s €3m switch from Mallorca and teased another player’s announcement.
Not gonna lie, every Southampton fan had only one name in their minds regarding the following announcement. James Bree. It emerged that Ross Stewart’s contract extension date had expired amidst the ‘Spygate’ uncertainty in May and that his entourage are on the lookout for better offers.
That said, James Bree’s contract extension was a no-brainer guess. Until, Southampton decided to sign George Long as backup keeper from Norwich City, taking fans by surprise.
It’s good that Saints have almost confirmed their 2026/27 Championship goalkeeping ranks with Daniel Peretz, George Long and perhaps, one more deputy keeper but fans wanted James Bree news.
James Bree’s contract extension announcement wait goes on
In recent seasons, Southampton fans have seen a bunch of star players leave the club for nothing. Kyle Walker-Peters ran down his Saints contract in 2025, and ultimately joined West Ham while his market value stood around £5-6m at the bare minimum.
Southampton missed out on both the fee and Walker-Peters quality at fullback. The same happened with Ryan Fraser’s mid-season exit this January as he walked for free to join Australian side Western Sydney Wanderers. Will Smallbone is also widely tipped to leave as a free agent, with recent loan club Millwall named as his biggest admirers for a summer move.
READ MORE: Southampton will be bigger winners from Mateus Fernandes transfer than West Ham
READ MORE: Dragan Solak outlines emotional reason behind Mateus Fernandes £42m Southampton exit
Barring a miracle, Ross Stewart might follow them in hitting free agency as his entourage weighs up their options following an unexpected automatic contract extension miss from Southampton. Knowing this, Saints should waste no time in tying Bree to fresh terms for a few years.
Bree’s squad integration upon his Charlton Athletic loan return in January proved to be crucial in steadying Southampton’s playoffs rise under Tonda Eckert. As such, every day that goes without a positive update on Bree’s new contract does nothing but raise suspicions that negotiations might have stalled behind the scenes.
Southampton’s best right-back options for 2026/27
James Bree is head and shoulders above other options like Mads Roerslev in Tonda Eckert’s plans. He attacks and defends well in a back-four, doesn’t cross as much as Ryan Manning does on the other flank but Bree’s passing and decision-making make up for it.
If he were to leave, Saints will have a big task to replace him at right-back. So, what are Southampton’s best right-back options besides James Bree? Well, go for a loan, spend a few millions to bring a young fullback or recall Yukinari Sugawara back to the fold.
Elias Jelert’s subpar loan stint makes the loan option seem risky. Moreover, there is no certainty that better Championship right-backs can be poached from rival teams for less than what Bree will cost to renew. Relying on Yukinari Sugawara still sounds reasonable.
In the 2024/25 season, Sugawara displaced Bree from right-back after a decent individual run of form in the first half of the Premier League. If Tonda can work wonders with Bree, why can’t he turn Sugawara into an overlapping fullback to partner Tom Fellows and compatriot Kuryu Matsuki on the right flank?
Fingers crossed, let’s hope the James Bree contract extension news arrives soon. But if somehow Bree can’t be renewed, Southampton need to try Yukinari Sugawara for the first team.
READ MORE SOUTHAMPTON NEWS HERE:
- Ross Stewart’s potential free transfer exit might be blessing in disguise for £7m Southampton flop
- Southampton will be bigger winners from Mateus Fernandes transfer than West Ham
- Dragan Solak outlines emotional reason behind Mateus Fernandes £42m Southampton exit
- Ross Stewart’s Southampton contract extension looks difficult after his entourage’s actions
- €6m transfer update arrives for Southampton star heading for 2026 FIFA World Cup
