Southampton beat Celtic and Rangers to transfer agreement.

Southampton are in contention for a play-off spot this season, as they seek an immediate return to the Premier League.

Tonda Eckert’s team is looking to climb into the top six of the Championship after a challenging first half of the season.

Following Will Still’s dismissal in November, the 33-year-old took over as interim manager of the Hampshire club, but a solid run of success in his first few games secured him a permanent position.

Southampton hired the German full-time in December, and he has overseen 20 league games since taking charge of the first team, with 10 victories and five ties.

While the Saints will be focused on regaining their spot in the first division barely a year after finishing 20th under Ivan Juric, they will also be looking ahead to the summer transfer market.

Promotion to the top flight will have a significant impact on their capacity to attract first-team talent, but the Championship side is already making moves that may have a greater long-term impact.

Southampton reach Queen’s Park transfer agreement

The Daily Record reports that Southampton has reached an agreement with Queen’s Park to sign Harris Afzal.

The 16-year-old had been drawing interest from Celtic and Rangers, but the Saints have suddenly jumped ahead of the two Scottish giants.

Other English clubs have also expressed interest in Azfal, but the Hampshire club has now taken a significant step forward in the race to recruit him.

The left-back has yet to make his senior debut for the Scottish Championship club, but he has appeared in previous matchday squads.

The adolescent has impressed at the youth level and is on the verge of making his debut for Sean Crighton’s first team.

Azfal has been on trial with Southampton, and talks with the player are currently underway to finalise his transfer.

According to reports, the defender impressed when given the opportunity to play, and he is now regarded as a prospect for the academy system.

It is unclear how much Southampton will pay to get the player if he agrees to the transfer.

Eckert’s side is currently 11th in the Championship league and will play against QPR at 8 p.m. tonight.

Harris Afzal signing has long-term potential for Southampton

Afzal is unlikely to make a quick impact on Southampton’s first-team squad, but he has the ability to do so in the future.

The full-back impressed at underage level, and the Saints were evidently pleased with his performance on trial.

This is a wonderful chance for the youngster, and it reflects well on the club that they were able to fend off interest from Celtic and Rangers in order to move forward with this transaction.

Afzal might be a great coup in the future years if he can develop his talent and become a first-team regular.

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