With just one year left on his contract, Southampton goalkeeper Alex McCarthy is demanding a bumper pay rise in order to commit his future to the club, according to the Southern Daily Echo.

What’s the story, then?

The report claims that 28-year-old McCarthy wants to become one of the best-paid players at St Mary’s on the back of a season that saw him take the number one jersey away from Fraser Forster.

The report states that moving past Forster in the pecking order has emboldened McCarthy to demand that his new deal sees him earn the same as the former Celtic goalkeeper, who signed a £15m five-year deal last summer.

That reportedly poses a dilemma for new Saints manager Mark Hughes, who knows that if he doesn’t satisfy McCarthy’s demands, he faces the prospect of losing one of last season’s top performers for a small fee this summer or for free next.

McCarthy has earned the pay rise

Southampton backed themselves into a corner by committing to a long-term bumper deal for Forster, whose form has been declining steadily in recent seasons and is easily upgradable.

McCarthy has shown that the now the Saints have nowhere to go because they have shown that they are willing to reward an English, first-choice goalkeeper so handsomely.

The stopper is also, at 28, coming to the stage of his career where this is likely to be his last big contract – although goalkeepers can go on longer – and he is within his rights to demand that is a huge one, especially off the back of last season’s impressive displays.

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