Shane Long and Yan Valery leave Southampton for AFC Bournemouth and Birmingham City

There was a late flurry of Southampton activity as the January transfer window drew to a close late on Monday night.

Saints striker Shane Long left St Mary’s for AFC Bournemouth on a loan deal, making a short trip along the coast.

Young French full-back Yan Valery also left Southampton for the Championship on deadline day. Valery joined up with Birmingham City.

Republic of Ireland international Long has made 226 appearances for Southampton since joining the club in 2014. Very much a loyal club servant, the 34-year-old netted 35 goals for the Saints during that time.

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However, Long had only started one Premier League game for Southampton in the ongoing 2020/21 Premier League season.

Recently, Valery has been featuring in the Saints first team more as injuries pile up for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side.

Southampton are particularly short on players in wide defensive positions. With Valery leaving Saints for the Championship in loan despite the team not having many depth options, that could be rather telling for Valery’s Saints future or at least indicative of Hasenhuttl thinking the Frenchman needs to gain more match experience elsewhere.

21-year-old Valery has made 37 Premier League appearances for Southampton.