Eredivisie outfit Feyenoord have confirmed the return of midfielder Jordy Clasie from Premier League side Southampton on a season-long, despite the Saints eager to permanently rid the Dutchman ahead of the 2018-19 season.
The 27-year-old has forever been on the fringes of the squad on the south coast since penning a five-year deal in the summer of 2015 for £8 million - signing from the Rotterdam-based club.
Clasie, a product of Feyenoord's world-renowned academy, broke onto the first-team scene in 2011 and was tipped to feature in the top-flight at one point or another, and did so with Southampton - however, the Netherlands international only accumulated 38 appearances in the Premier League.
This will be the midfielder's second loan spell away from St. Mary's having spent last campaign at Belgian side Club Brugge; playing in 25 matches in all competitions for them during the 2017-18 season.
The Haarlem-born outfield player made 155 appearances for Feyenoord in his four years as a professional footballer there, netting on eight occasions and contributing to a further 24 goals via assists.
Are the Saints wasting talent?
Mark Hughes has currently shipped out £42 million worth of exceptional talent on loan during this summer window; Guido Carrillo joined former boss Mauricio Pellegrino at CD Leganes, meanwhile, winger Sofiane Boufal had fallen out with the manager and has followed his team-mate to Spain by signing for Celta Vigo last week.
Many will criticise the club for failing to recoup some of the money that had been obscenely splashed out on these players in recent years, however, if things happen to turn into a disaster at St. Mary's and Hughes loses his job then the Saints will know their first-team is abundant in prosperous players.
Clasie is no exception. An exciting talent in the Dutch league prior to his switch to England to ply his trade for Southampton and there were tremendous weights of expectations on the player's shoulders but as soon as Mario Lemina was snatched up by Pellegrino last summer, he found his opportunities limited and therefore inevitably exited the club.
The more persuasive argument is that poor transfer recruitment is being erased by the hierarchy for what many will describe as superb business this window, and so early on.
Southampton's additions to the senior side has seen them concede more than £50 million but that has come at a bombardment of praise from supporters - specifically with the strengthening of several positions.
Mohamed Elyounoussi is a highly respected talent growing into the professional game as well as goalkeeper Angus Gunn who could become a promising player in-between the posts at St. Mary's.
Jannik Vestergaard offers plenty of experience at the tender age of 25 and Stuart Armstrong realizes what it takes to win a match having spent his recent career at Celtic.
It is just unfortunate that for Clasie he is not particularly fancied by Hughes, and despite the Saints wishing to recoup a percentage of the fee they paid for him, he is more than likely going to pen a permanent deal away from Southampton in January or the following summer.