Lambert extends contract, Chamberlain to stay

Saints striker Rickie Lambert has extended his contact at St Mary's, keeping him at the club until 2014.

The former Blackpool trainee has been in hot form since his move from Bristol Rovers in 2009. As Nigel Adkins looks to improve his scoring options, it seems clear Adkins is looking for a partner for Lambert.

Lambert has even indicated he would like to see out the remainder of his career at St Mary's.

Chamberlain to stay at St Mary's?

In other good news for Soutampton, Adkins revealled no bids have been received for teenage star Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. The 17-year-old has been linked wit a big-money move to Premier League clubs, most notably Arsenal. However, so far no-one has tried to pry the teenager away from St Mary's.

New signings to be made

Saints ave been linked with bringing ex-Liverpool defender John Arne Riise back to English football. The Roma player may not figure in manager Luis Enrique's plans for next season as the big spending club look to challenge for the Serie A title. Soutampton have also been linked with a host of different strikers.

If Chamberlain does remain at Southampton, it will surely only be a matter of time before he moves on. The youngster would probably stay if Saints gain promotion to the Premier League, which is extremely unlikely in their first season back in the Championship.

Gareth Bale, Andrew Surman and Theo Walcott all left Southampton in order to secure Premier League football. Bale and Walcott are now thriving despite possibly leaving Saints a bit too early. After an unsuccessful stint at Wolves, Surman helped Norwich gain Premier League promotion last season.

Saints step up quest for striker

Saints boss Nigel Adkins is stepping up his quest for a striker as the club braces itself for the loss of young winger Alex Chamberlain.

Southampton have declared their interest in Bristol City forward Nicky Maynard. However, it won't be easy to lure the 24-year-old away from Ashton Gate. Leicester City, who beat Saints in the race to sign Neil Danns had a bid for Maynard rejected.

Also on Nigel Adkins' shopping list is Billy Sharp. The Doncaster scorer, who played under Adkins at Scunthorpe scored 16 goals last season despite missing large chunks through injury. Although the Yorkshire side are struggling financially, it may take a bid of up to £3 million to tempt Sharp to leave for the south coast. Coventry striker Lukas Jutkiewicz has also been linked with a move to his home-town club, but again will require a substantial fee.

Saints could do with some fire-power. Last season Rickie Lambert couldn't build on a remarkable 2009-10 season in which he bagged 37 goals in all competitions. Last year he managed 21 goals, but he will find it a lot tougher in the Championship.

David Connolly has extended his contract at St Mary's until the end of next season, but with Lee Barnard possibly facing a court case for assault, Lambert could do with a partner.

With winger Alex Chamberlain set to leave Southampton for Arsenal in the next few days, Nigel Adkins may have some money to spend with a big fee likely to be paid to Saints.