Ralph Hasenhuttl is hoping Southampton’s new sponsorship deal will give them a transfer boost this summer.
The Saints have announced a three-year extension on their partnership with Coingaming, which will see the Sportsbet.io brand continue to feature on their first team’s shirts.
It’s thought to be the biggest sponsorship deal in the club’s history and could help Southampton to sign some top-quality players in the coming months.
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Speaking about the deal, Hasenhuttl told the PA news agency: “I know that there were always some discussions about taking a betting company as a main sponsor on the shirt.
“But I think to make the deal in such a moment of the pandemic, where lots of teams are struggling getting new sponsorships because there are issues with the economy, I think we can definitely be happy about that.
“And that means we have a little bit more safety in planning for the summer, because it will be a hot transfer summer for sure. I expect some big moves, but a lot of teams are struggling with their finances.
“If you have that little advantage then you can make maybe a very early good deal, that helps you massively next season.
“For us, it is a very important long-term deal with a clear message, which is absolutely necessarily.
“Every month we lose a lot of money because of the pandemic, because of having no supporters in the ground – it is very helpful if you have partners you can trust and this was a big step for us.
“It gives us a chance to invest in players that we need for the next season, because we have a few positions where we have big problems and big issues, so this gives us more alternatives for looking around.”
Southampton have had problems at right-back this season, with Kyler Walker-Peters the only true player available in that position.
His muscle injury forced centre-back Jan Bednarek to play there during January and February.
Cover for Walker-Peters will therefore be a top priority for Hasenhuttl when the new transfer funds become available.
They might also have to sign a new striker if Danny Ings leaves for a top six club.