Southampton come into their FA Cup clash with Arsenal on a 14-game unbeaten streak following a transformative January transfer window, which saw Cyle Larin and Daniel Peretz arrive
Cyle Larin of Southampton celebrates with team-mate Ryan Manning
Cyle Larin has made a huge difference for Southampton(Image: Robin Jones/Getty Images)
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It's fair to say that there was some scepticism among the Southampton fanbase in the January transfer window. Owners Sport Republic don't have much credit in the bank when it comes to transfers, and their decisions mid-season were always likely to define the 2025/26 season.
The initial bounce after Tonda Eckert replaced Will Still as manager had faded. The season was drifting and fresh impetus was needed. So the decision to sell top goalscorer Adam Armstrong to Wolves appeared to be a major gamble. Especially when the man brought in to replace him had managed just one goal in 15 appearances.
But reflecting a few months down the line, as Saints prepare to host Premier League leaders Arsenal in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, things could hardly have gone any better.
Cyle Larin, the striker signed on an initial loan from Mallorca, has four goals in 11 appearances. And what's more, he's provided the focal point Eckert's side had sorely lacked with the diminutive Armstrong leading the line.
Southampton have climbed the Championship table, rising from mid-table obscurity to the midst of the play-off race. They are 14 games unbeaten and brimming with confidence, to the extent that the fans arriving at St Mary's Stadium on Saturday night will truly believe they could shock the best team in the country.
"The reality is that we go into a game to win, and we've always done that. For me, there is no other way. There is no other way that exists," Eckert said in his pre-match press conference. "If you drop off that expectation and just put yourself in a role where you say, well, the pressure is on them, you only prepare yourself for bad results. The pressure is on us, we want to win, and we'll do everything to do that."
He added: "I think we have found a couple of bits that we're able to hurt them [with]. We just need to make sure we bring that on the pitch."
Southampton FC Head Coach Tonda Eckert during a Southampton FC press conference
Tonda Eckert has Saints on a 14-game unbeaten run(Image: Matt Watson/Southampton FC via Getty Images)
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Such a statement would have seemed ridiculous not long ago. But the form since mid-January has been outstanding and owes much to the mid-season arrivals.
Larin has looked every bit the international striker with 30 goals who will lead the line for Canada at the World Cup this summer. The unexpected return of James Bree - a right-back signed by the much-maligned Nathan Jones - from Charlton has proved to be a masterstroke. And the loan signing of Bayern Munich goalkeeper Daniel Peretz has been the most crucial of the three.
Southampton haven't had a reliable presence between the posts for a long time. Gavin Bazunu was exiled on loan to Stoke after three-and-a-half years of largely unfulfilled potential and all-too-regular errors. In his absence, Peretz has already established himself as everything Saints fans have craved, pulling off some crucial saves in their run of three successive wins before the international break.
Daniel Peretz of Southampton
Daniel Peretz has replaced Gavin Bazunu in goal(Image: Matt Watson/Southampton FC via Getty Images)
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With Jack Stephens and Taylor Harwood-Bellis now settled as the first-choice centre-back pairing, full-backs Bree and Ryan Manning contributing at both ends of the pitch and Flynn Downes, Casper Jander and Shea Charles all in form in central midfield, things have clicked into place at the perfect time.
The 2-1 win over Champions-elect Coventry last month was the best of the Eckert era and marked Southampton out as the division's in-form side. Two more wins followed before the international break and now Arsenal stand in the way of what fans hope will be the first of two trips to Wembley at the back end of this season.
The real goal lies in the Championship, where a repeat of 2024 businesslike and almost drama-less play-off success is being eyed. Saints sit seventh - a point below Wrexham, who they travel to on Tuesday - with a game in-hand and momentum behind them. An FA Cup semi-final would simply be a bonus.
Arsenal have had it easy in the FA Cup so far this season, beating Portsmouth, Wigan and Mansfield. Rotation may be a priority for Mikel Arteta as he looks to juggle his injury-hit squad and secure a first Premier League title for the club in 22 years. But the Gunners cannot afford to underestimate their opponents.
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