Paterson sticking with Saints

Southampton starlet Matthew Paterson is poised to sign a new deal at St Mary’s.

Paterson is highly-regarded at Southampton, and as Head Coach Mark Wotte revealed after his side’s 3-0 win at Ipswich earlier on in the month, the club are keen to reward him for his progress with a contract extension.

Speaking after the Ipswich game, Wotte said, “I’m so pleased for Matt Paterson. It was a magnificent sub role – I think he had only been on 20 seconds.

“It was his tenth game so he had to celebrate it. We told him that we are going to extend his contract this week so he was very happy.

“It was a tough decision not to put Bradley Wright-Phillips on the bench but Matt Paterson proved that my decision was right.”

The 19-year-old’s current deal is due to expire in the summer, but after going on to make a total of twelve first-team appearances this season, the youngster is expected to commit his long-term future to the Saints.

The striker’s form has seen a number of League One and League Two clubs enquire about signing him on loan, but Southampton have rebuffed all overtures for Paterson.

News of Paterson’s fresh deal will come as a timely boost for the Saints as they battle to avoid relegation from the Championship.