Southampton ended the 2026/27 campaign in unprecedented circumstances, and as the club looked to put that campaign behind them, a summer transfer window full of big decisions ensued.

Unless you have been living under a rock for the past six months, you will be well aware of Southampton's expulsion from the Championship play-offs last season after being found guilty of spying.

The fallout of the incident is still rumbling on today, as whilst uncertainty regarding the punishment Saints head coach Tonda Eckert would face dominated headlines, the German still went about his work and spearheaded recruitment and squad-building at St Mary's.

Some big recruitment decisions were made, and ones that have already been vindicated. Although Eckert may have dropped the ball on allowing one player in particular to leave the club.

Southampton allowed Cameron Archer to join Auxerre on loan despite interest from West Bromwich Albion and Preston North End

After excellent loan spells at St Mary's, Southampton confirmed the permanent additions of both Daniel Peretz and Cyle Larin, whilst the likes of Lewis Dobbin, Divin Mubama, Keven Schlotterbeck, Zach Abbott, and James Ward-Prowse headed to the club.

Peretz, Larin, Schlotterbeck, and Ward-Prowse, in particular, have already proven to be hits, as following these additions, Eckert allowed each of Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Shea Charles, Ben Brereton-Diaz, and Cameron Archer to leave the club.

Archer, 24, headed to France to link up with former Saints boss Will Still at Auxerre despite interest from Preston North End, as per Alan Nixon, and West Bromwich Albion, as per Alex Crook.

The former England youth international struggled for minutes on the South Coast ever since Eckert took charge at St Mary's, and was allowed to leave on loan in search of more minutes, as that decision already appears to have been a big mistake by the German.

Cameron Archer is thriving on loan in France under former Southampton head coach Will Still

Since arriving in Ligue 1, Archer has reminded everyone exactly why Southampton decided to sign him from Aston Villa for around £17 million in the first place.

Thrust straight into the starting XI by Still for Auxerre's away clash with high-flying Lyon, the Englishman netted on his debut despite losing 3-1, and having made a strong impression already, remained up top for the following game against Nice.

Archer once again found the back of the net late on in a 1-0 victory, before scoring in the following game in a 2-1 win over Brest, and taking his tally to four by netting in Auxerre's 4-1 loss to Rennes.

Although he failed to find the back of the net against Le Havre in Auxerre's most recent outing, four goals in his first four games for his new side have reminded many exactly why he was once so highly rated, as from this evidence, Southampton and Eckert must consider taking action.

Tonda Eckert must consider the January recall of Cameron Archer after scintillating displays on loan with Auxerre

Following his excellent goalscoring form in a major European league, Southampton would be remiss not to consider an early recall of Archer in January.

It's not clear whether any such option was included in the deal that saw him head to France, but if the option is there, the Saints must seriously weigh up whether to trigger it, especially after Dobbin and Mubama have struggled to get up to speed as yet.

Dobbin has replaced Archer in the squad to struggle for minutes, whilst Mubama has failed to get ahead of Larin in the pecking order as of now, and though both will likely earn more minutes as the season goes on, whether they can find their shooting boots remains to be seen.

Archer is in wonderful form, and there is no guarantee that he can continue this back in England, and should he return from his loan, he would be expecting more minutes in any case; whether Eckert can provide him with that guarantee is unclear.

Do you think Southampton should consider recalling Cameron Archer in January? Share your thoughts below!

Southampton may have made a transfer blunder involving Cameron Archer

Having spent £9 million to bring in Dobbin from Aston Villa, Eckert would have hoped for a much better impact from the forward upon his arrival, though the former Norwich City loanee can point to the fact that regular minutes have not been afforded to him.

Regardless of this, with Archer thriving and Dobbin struggling, Eckert would have been much better off keeping the former around instead of spending a near eight-figure sum on a replacement that has yet to come close to justifying that fee.

Whether Dobbin will come good remains to be seen, as Southampton may well have made a big mistake in their transfer decision regarding Archer.