Towards the end of the transfer window, Southampton were, alongside Everton, going around Europe trying to buy a bunch of players.
Unlike their Merseyside counterparts, however, the Saints ended up actually signing a few of them, including Kamaldeen Sulemana and Paul Onuachu.
The latter begged to go to Southampton, such was his desire to play in the Premier League, but the same cannot be said about the Ghanaian winger.
According to Ouest-France, Rennes initially didn’t want to sell him, despite his lack of minutes and his manager, Bruno Génésio, not holding him in high esteem.
However, once Southampton and Everton, as well as a third unnamed club, came forward with their offers, and faced with the ‘magnitude of the bids’ (€10m more than what they bought him for), the Ligue 1 side ‘reconsidered their stance’.
They then sought out a replacement, which ended up being Ibrahim Salah, and Sulemana ‘reached an agreement with his suitors’.
This is why his signing came late, and why Rennes had to make announcements well into the night.
Southampton won’t care, though, as they have their pacy winger, and that’s what they wanted in the first place.
