With more than three months until the end of the 2023-24 season, the Championship promotion race is far from finished, despite Leicester City’s commanding lead at the top.
Brighton’s interest in the Foxes’ star midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall is likely to throw a wrench in the works if he leaves for the Seagulls, whose nearest rivals in the league are Ipswich Town and Southampton.
And the two might compete for a player in the final week of the transfer window, someone who could be a game changer in the final third if given the opportunity.
Ipswich Town and Southampton in Rak-Sakyi chase
According to a social media post on X by former Sunday Mirror Sports Editor Darren Witcoop, both the Tractor Boys and Saints want to add Crystal Palace’s fleet-footed winger Jesurun Rak-Sakyi to their squads for the rest of the season; Southampton’s interest, however, was first reported by the South London Press.
Following an impressive 2022-23 season in League One with Charlton Athletic, where he scored 15 league goals and won the Addicks’ Player of the Season award, the 21-year-old was a top target for several Championship clubs in the summer, including both of the aforementioned sides who want him back.
In the end, with Palace failing to secure the transfer targets they desired, Rak-Sakyi remained at Selhurst Park for the first half of the current season, despite an agreement with Leicester City, and he appeared six times in the Premier League under Roy Hodgson, all coming off the bench.
However, Rak-Sakyi suffered a hamstring injury in training in early November, ruling him out of action for the rest of the season, leaving Palace and Hodgson with one fewer option out wide.
With Rak-Sakyi now close to a return to action, with a February date penciled in, he might now go out on loan for game-time at a Championship club, and promotion-chasing sides are seeking for an extra edge in the attacking areas of the pitch.
Rak-Sakyi matches the exact description of the offensive player that the Saints have been unsuccessfully attempting to add to their team this month, so it’s no surprise that he’s on their radar.
Russell Martin wants a left-footed wide player who can cut in from the right and create opportunities, and Rak-Sakyi did just that for Charlton, although in League One.
The Saints have expressed interest in Manuel Benson and David Brooks, but Rak-Sakyi appears to be a more reachable goal if Palace make him officially available in the next few days of the transfer window, though there will be plenty of competition for his signature.
Rak-Sakyi is unlikely to appear at Portman Road, however, given Kieran McKenna’s present vast range of choices.
Nathan Broadhead, Wes Burns, Omari Hutchinson, Jeremy Sarmiento, and Marcus Harness are all competing for starting positions at Ipswich, which is a lot of talent to keep happy, so adding Rak-Sakyi to the mix wouldn’t make much sense.
Don’t be shocked if additional clubs join the race to sign Rak-Sakyi in the coming days; there might be a huge late scramble if he becomes available.
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