Southampton & Middlesbrough land double promotion boost heading into 2027

Both Boro and Southampton were able to strengthen their squads enough over the course of the summer to go again, but come January, both clubs were set to lose one player each that have been regulars under Kim Hellberg and Eckert.

The AFC Asian Cup - which takes place internationally every four years - has been scheduled to take place between January and February 2027, with that being part of the post-season for most countries in that part of the world.

And included in the teams that have qualified are, as to be expected, both Australia and Japan, who are two of the best footballing nations representing Asia, and that was set to impact Boro and Southampton equally.

That is because Middlesbrough have Aussie midfielder Riley McGree on the books, with Southampton owning Kuryu Matsuki - a Japanese attacking midfielder who has forced his way into Eckert's plans after a low-key loan stint with Goztepe in Türkiye in the 2024-25 season.

Boro and Saints now handed unexpected squad boosts

Both McGree and Matsuki departing their respective squads would've been big blows, given their impacts so far this season.

Whilst McGree is yet to score so far this season in the Championship for Middlesbrough, he is an important part of Hellberg's midfield alongside Aidan Morris and Sebastian Berhalter, registering three assists, whilst Matsuki at Southampton has been more of a goal threat, regularly operating on the right flank, where he's scored four times in 2026-27, becoming central to the south coast outfit's push for promotion.

Therefore, it would've been a big blow for the two clubs to lose one of their more vital final third players each - but they now do not have to worry about it.

That is because an official update has emerged about the status of the Asian Cup, which was scheduled to be hosted by Saudi Arabia, and it is being pushed back by nearly a whole year due to rising tensions and travel disruptions within several countries in the Middle East.

And whilst the new dates have to be approved by FIFA still, the 2027 Asian Cup is now expected to start in December 2027, and will run until late January 2028.

Double Boro, Southampton boost is bad news for two players

Whilst McGree and Matsuki being available now for what will be a very busy Christmas and New Year period is a massive relief for Hellberg and Eckert, you have to feel a little sorry for the players who will now probably not be getting as many chances as expected.

McGree is the undisputed first-choice attacking midfielder at Boro, and that has left Leo Castledine - a January signing from Chelsea after a lightning loan stint at Huddersfield Town in the first half of last season - in the cold a little bit.

He's appeared just four times in the league so far this season and would've been expecting to land some more minutes during the Asian Cup if he was fit, but that's not likely now, and the same can be said for Rokas Pukstas when he recovers from a hamstring injury, having appeared in just two cameos since his summer arrival.

At Southampton, Matsuki is ahead of Tom Fellows in the pecking order off the right wing, and given how highly-rated the latter arrived from West Brom, it's a surprise that the 23-year-old hasn't really kicked on.

Last season, Fellows registered seven Championship assists but zero goals, and Eckert clearly favours the left-footed Matsuki cutting in onto his stronger foot from the right rather than the directness of the former, and unless injury strikes, that's likely to continue throughout the season.