New Southampton boss Russell Martin is expecting departures this summer following relegation to the Championship.

Nathan Tella made a big impression at Burnley during a loan spell from the Saints last season, scoring 19 goals in all competitions.

His performances helped Vincent Kompany’s side win the Championship title and secure an immediate return to the top flight.

Tella has been linked with a permanent move to Turf Moor ahead of the upcoming season, and Martin says there will be ins and outs at Southampton in the coming weeks.

But the 37-year-old, who joined from Swansea, insists things can “change really quickly” in the transfer window.

“There will be people leaving, of course. That happens when you have such a tough season and you leave the Premier League,” he told the club’s YouTube channel.

“But it’s also not as easy, I’ve been there. Every player thinks they will go back to the Premier League, but it’s not always that easy. But we will lose people, there’s no doubt about it.

“The transfer window drags on far too long. Ideally, it would shut before the season starts - we might find ourselves in a position where we have players playing for us who might still end up leaving.

 

“But it’s our job to navigate that as smoothly as possible. The players that are here - while they’re here, the only expectation is they give everything they have got for the club and for themselves.

“If everyone does that, we will have no problem at all. If some people decide that is not their intention then they just won’t be part of the group for long, so I hope that isn’t a problem.

“Of course, there will be people coming in and leaving. But I can’t give you any numbers yet because it’s something with no certainty and it can change really quickly."