Until the transfer window is closed, Southampton face the prospect of losing more important players and having to identify suitable replacements.
Nevertheless, despite the ongoing transitional period, Russell Martin has still managed to accumulate seven points from his opening three games in the Championship.
In each of the matches against Sheffield Wednesday, Norwich City and Plymouth Argyle, the Saints have netted important late goals, the indication being that their passing game is leaving the opposition fatigued during the closing stages.
As other teams begin to adapt, that may only get Southampton so far, yet Martin will be the first to acknowledge that points on the board is the crucial factor at this stage of the season.
While Southampton are the second top goalscorers in the division with eight strikes, half of those goals have come players in Nathan Tella and Che Adams who may soon be leaving for pastures new.
Gareth Ainsworth appears to be under constant pressure at QPR, a consequence of losing 11 of his 17 matches in charge in all competitions.
The latest setbacks have come at home to Norwich City and Ipswich Town by 1-0 scorelines, the most recent defeat being at the hands of the league leaders.
Links >> Stream 1 HD Stream 2 HD Stream 3 HD Stream 4 HD
However, Ainsworth has guided the Hoops to victory in three of their last four away fixtures in the Championship, those triumphs occurring at Burnley, Stoke City and Cardiff City.
Facing a free-scoring Southampton side arguably represents the stiffest test of the lot, yet conceding just three times in as many games since the 4-0 defeat at Watford on the opening weekend can only have left Ainsworth feeling quietly optimistic about the development of his backline.
While Adams could remain in the Southampton attack, Tella may be left out if there has been any progress with a possible switch to Bayer Leverkusen.Joe Aribo and Sekou Mara are both on standby to come into the attack, but Will Smallbone is again expected to miss out with an ankle injury.
