Ex-Southampton forward Nathan Redmond joins Championship rivals out of nowhere

Ex-Southampton forward Nathan Redmond has joined the Saints Championship rivals Blackburn Rovers out of nowhere in a surprise free transfer.

Nowadays, Southampton fans are counting the days when Tonda Eckert’s men will continue their Premier League promotion push. Two Championship campaigns within three years have disappointed the St. Mary’s faithful who had grown used to watching top-flight football for 11 years without a break.

That long Premier League streak boiled down to Southampton assembling a team filled with elite players. Names like Sadio Mane, Virgil Van Dijk, Jose Fonte and James Ward-Prowse are well credited for Southampton’s mid 2010s success.

At the same time, key players like Nathan Redmond are often forgotten despite once being an integral part of the Saints attack.

Nathan Redmond at Southampton

Back in 2016, Redmond was brought to fill Sadio Mane’s boots who had jetted off to Liverpool. To be fair, Redmond wasn’t a prolific scorer in the Premier League. But his creativity allowed Saints attackers to get in better scoring positions and score more goals for the club as a result.

As far as attacking stats are concerned, Nathan Redmond scored 30 goals and laid a further 27 for his Southampton peers in his 232 appearances across 6 years at St. Mary’s. These numbers in front of goal, and staying as a starter under various bosses alone makes Redmond a Southampton hero.

Not to forget, Redmond was a far better winger than the likes of Moussa Djenepo and Kamaldeen Sulemana who were signed later for big transfer fees but largely disappointed at Southampton.

Ex-Southampton forward Nathan Redmond joins Blackburn Rovers

Four years have gone by since Nathan Redmond bid goodbye to Southampton. During these years, the Englishman had an okayish stint with Turkish club Besiktas. At Burnley, Redmond began getting reduced to a fringe role and that hasn’t changed since then.

The 32-year-old is widely viewed as a decent attacking asset at Championship level but one who can only be relied upon as a backup. This season, Redmond had to endure months of free agency in the market before finalising a 2 month deal at Sheffield Wednesday.

Playing for the worst Championship club at present was meant to be an easy walk into the starting eleven, but it didn’t. Forget starting a game or scoring goals, Redmond never played the full 45 minutes of any half for the Owls.

Despite his Sheffield Wednesday failure, Redmond has got enough credit in English football for his past Southampton exploits. He will never have a shortage of suitors until he retires from the sport. The same has happened now. Southampton’s Championship rivals Blackburn Rovers have signed Nathan Redmond.

In their own words, Blackburn Rovers put: “We are pleased to confirm the signing of former England international Nathan Redmond, subject to EFL/FA approval. The 32-year-old joins as a free agent to bolster the club’s attack for the @SkyBetChamp run-in.”

What next for Nathan Redmond and Southampton?

At Blackburn Rovers, Nathan Redmond will be looking forward to the St. Andrews visit after the restart. The 32-year-old made a name for himself at Birmingham City and will return to the same stadium as an opponent in a week from now.

Afterwards, Redmond will have an eye on a Southampton reunion too. The last time he played against the Saints was in the 2024/25 FA Cup, where his Burnley team ran out 1-0 winners over an out-of-form Southampton side.

This season, Southampton have played twice against Redmond’s recent club Sheffield Wednesday. Tonda Eckert’s men won both, however, one of them was before the winger’s arrival and one was well after Redmond had checked out of Hillsborough.

Fortunately, there is a Southampton vs Blackburn Rovers clash left where Redmond will definitely be involved in any capacity. That game is in April at St. Mary’s. Hopefully, Redmond gets a standing ovation whenever he comes on the pitch and most importantly, Southampton seal the three points on the evening.