The 21-year-old, who made one senior appearance for Saints against Crystal Palace in December 2014 and also captained the under-21s to the Premier League Cup success in 2015, has signed a three-year deal at Oakwell.
McCarthy spent the 2016/17 campaign on loan at League One Walsall, playing every minute of league and cup action and scoring five goals on his way to being named as their Player of the Season.
Prior to that, he made 39 appearances in all competitions for Wycombe Wanderers on loan and was also named as the club’s Player of the Season.
Southampton Football Club would like to thank Jason for his hard work and wish him every success for the future.
Players regularly reveal the position they played as a child is completely opposite to the role they occupy in the professional game.
England boss Gareth Southgate has suggested that John Stones – a central defender – is a future option for the Three Lions as a holding midfielder.
Professionals are often eager to move away from being viewed as a versatile player, who can play in many positions, rather than being a master of one.
But should Stones impress in a new role against France on Tuesday night, could it be the start of something great for a player who has struggled for consistency in his regular position in defence?
Here we look at 10 players who went on to enjoy great success in a new position – scroll through the gallery above to take a look.
Barnsley have signed defender Jason McCarthy from Southampton for an undisclosed fee.
McCarthy, comfortable at right-back and central defence, has put pen to paper on a three-year deal and is the Reds’ second summer signing.
“I’m really, really pleased to get Jason to join us,” head coach Paul Heckingbottom told the club’s official website.
“We’ve been monitoring him for a while and as soon as we became aware that there was a chance, we jumped at it.”
McCarthy progressed through Southampton’s academy, but made only one first-team appearance before spending the 2015/16 season on loan at Wycombe.
He joined Walsall on a long-term loan last summer and was an ever-present for Jon Whitney’s side in Sky Bet League One last season, scoring five goals.
McCarthy added: “I’m absolutely delighted to be here, it’s a thrill to get it over the line. This was the perfect next step for me, to sign for a Championship club, especially one like Barnsley.”
Barnsley signed midfielder Stevie Mallan, 21, from St Mirren on a three-year deal last month.
The visitors took the lead after just eight minutes when Keisuke Honda’s corner found Yuya Osako, who headed home at the near post.
And they looked to be heading for a victory, until 17 minutes from time, when Madhi Kamil’s goal helped rescue a point.
That leveller, coupled with Thailand’s draw against UAE means the race for the top three spots will go down to the final matchday, with Japan still leading Group B on 17 points.
| What next for Liverpool-linked Dusan Tadic? | The 2016/17 campaign was one to forget for a plethora of Southampton players, with inconsistency and frustration … 13-06-2017 |
| Barnsley sign youngster Jason McCarthy | Championship side Barnsley have today signed Jason McCarthy from Southampton on a three-year deal believed to be in … 13-06-2017 |
SAINTS academy man Jason McCarthy has signed permanently for Championship side Barnsley in a deal said to be worth around £200,000.
The 21-year-old has spent the past two seasons out on loan from St Mary’s, having successful spells at Wycombe Wanderers and Walsall.
The defender leaves Saints after making one senior appearance, which came back in December 2014 in a 3-1 win over Crystal Palace in the Premier League at Selhurst Park.
McCarthy, who was born in Southampton and has been at the academy since 2002, signs a three year deal at Oakwell.
“I am absolutely delighted to be here, it’s a thrill to get it over the line," he said on joining Barnsley.
"This was the perfect next step for me, to sign for a Championship club, especially one like Barnsley.
"As soon as I came and was walking around the place, you get a real feel and you sense the history of the club so it’s a great feeling to sign.
“This was a really easy decision. I went and met the manager and I got a really good impression from him straight away. I felt comfortable and this felt like the right move, I was really impressed as soon as I came through the door.”
McCarthy went on loan to Wycombe in the 2015/16 season, making 35 appearances in League Two and winning the Chairboys’ Supporters’ Player of the Year.
Last term, he headed out to Walsall in League One and once again scooped the Fans’ Player of the Season award.
McCarthy wrote in a statement posted on Twitter: "Thank you Southampton! I’ve absolutely loved my time here, it’s been a pleasure to be a part of it!
"It’s given me the best grounding I could have asked for.
"Naturally I feel a big attachment having spent so long at the club, but I’m looking forward to continuing my progress, all be it elsewhere.
“Good luck to everyone and I wish the club the very very best, thank you for your efforts with me.”
Tapping up, the practice of one club courting a player of another without permission, is football’s worst kept secret. And it is one that the general public only ever hear about when a club or player get caught. The rest of the time, hidden in plain sight, transfer dealings are often conducted in direct contravention of the regulations and no one bats an eyelid.
It is widespread but only when a club is particularly determined to keep hold of their player, or there is a feeling that the unwritten rules of discretion have been thrown out the window entirely, is an official complaint ever made.
Southampton felt both after learning that Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp reportedly met with Virgil van Dijk and exchanged a series of messages with the defender before any official bid had been lodged. Although Liverpool subsequently apologised to Southampton “for any misunderstanding” and withdrew their interest in Van Dijk – for the time being, at least – their only genuine regret may have been the embarrassment of getting caught.
One thing that is certain, however, is that they won’t have been the only ones. The FA and Premier League will be acutely aware of that, but it is an incredibly hard task to police every single transfer deal.
So, what exactly does go on?
Very rarely does a transfer begin the moment a bid is made. I had calls from managers during my career before any contact with my club was made and was even once asked to sound out a teammate on behalf of a former manager of mine too. More often than not, though, sporting directors, heads of recruitment and agents are the “go-between” men.
Usually there will have been weeks of negotiations between representatives – sounding out interest, perhaps any competition for your signature, wage demands – and, in some instances, what the player and his agent thinks would be a reasonable offer to make to his club.
Tireless checks on potential signings are run, which stretch way beyond their talents on the pitch. Subtle enquiries are made to people both in and outside football, to learn more about the player’s character and personal life.
Nothing wrong with that, of course, but most managers I have known will never sanction a signing before they have met the player first. Sure, they could meet after a bid has been lodged and permission granted, but transfers often move pretty quickly from that point. In my experience, managers like to sit down and get to know you a little bit. And just as importantly, it is a chance to sell their vision of the club and your role within it.
There is another side to the coin, though. I played with several players who were the subject of a bid from another club but were never informed about it. One former teammate was six months into a three-year contract, scoring freely, and when January arrived he received a call from the manger of a team in a higher division to sound out if he would be interested in signing.
He was. Money was discussed and the following week the first of several official approaches were made. Finally, they were told what fee would be acceptable – an exorbitant figure, based firmly in fantasy, which they knew all too well.
When this was relayed to my teammate, he wasn’t pleased and he let the manager know that. He spoke of having been offered double his weekly wage, which rather let the cat out of the bag. The manager threatened to report the club and the deal was dead.
However, why should a player not have the right to know of interest from elsewhere? At least to know about the possibility of playing at a higher level, and, yes, earning substantially more money? I would argue that they do. That is one of the reasons why tapping up exists. If there were no back-channelled conversations, clandestine meetings or leaks to the press, the clubs would be in an extraordinary position of strength.
Six months later the same former teammate had the manager and chairman of another club sitting in his living room. They knew, of course, that he would not be sold for any reasonable fee, so suggested that the player “kick up a fuss” in a bid to force his way out of the club.
It’s true that power is shifting towards players, but it didn’t work then and if clubs stand firm – and the player has years left on his contract – then it won’t.
Football is a multi-billion pound global industry, but it is futile trying to police every transfer deal. And unless the FA and Premier League choose to start handing out harsher penalties than a fine and a slap on the wrist, “tapping up” will be here to stay.
Gregor is a former professional footballer who played over 300 games in the English Football League. Twitter: @GregorRoberts0n.
“I am really, really pleased to get Jason to join us. It’s an exciting signing and I think the fans will be really pleased. I primarily see him playing on the right-hand-side but he can also play at the heart of the defence as well. This is a really positive move and I am looking forward to Jason getting onto the pitch.”
Huddersfield Town’s fairytale season had the perfect ending at Wembley, when they won 4-3 against Reading on penalties in the Play-Off final.
Christopher Schindler’s penalty secured a place amongst the elite after a remarkable campaign under the stewardship of David Wagner.
The Terriers always found a way in a season where 22 of their 25 league victories came by a single-goal margin and they conceded the fewest shots against them per match in the Championship.
Interestingly, the club was the first team to win a three successive Division One titles from 1923/24 to the 1925/26 season, and they will be hoping to buck the trend to survive in a division where the three previous play-off victors have all been relegated back to the Championship.
Manager
When David Wagner joined Huddersfield in November 2015, the brief was to make sure the club remained in the Championship, with supporters nervously looking over their shoulders.
The turnaround that followed given the financial clout of others better-placed for a return to the Premier League was nothing short of extraordinary – going from 19th position to fifth in 2016/17.
The former Borussia Dortmund II boss is often compared to his former colleague Jurgen Klopp, with whom he formed a close bond in the early 1990s at Mainz 05.
Connections
Midfielder Chris Marsden made over 100 appearances for Huddersfield Town between 1988 and 1994, before later going on to captain Saints in the 2003 FA Cup final as well as scoring an incredible individual goal against Ipswich Town.
He made 129 Premier League appearances for the club in total before moving on to play for Busan IPark in South Korea.
Ken Monkou also played for both clubs, making 238 appearances for Southampton before heading to Huddersfield on a free transfer in 1999.
Head-to-head record
Southampton wins: 11
Draws: 2
Huddersfield Town wins: 11
Previous four meetings
December 2010: Southampton 4-1 Huddersfield (Lambert, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jaidi, Chaplow)
October 2010: Huddersfield 2-0 Southampton
March 2010: Southampton 5-0 Huddersfield Town (Lambert, Barnard, Puncheon, Hammond, Wago)
August 2009: Huddersfield 3-1 Southampton (Lambert)
| Big Summer Quiz – Answers – Derby Day | Perhaps a better round knowledge wise on this one, and still an impressive lack of googling. The answers were:- What … 14-06-2017 |
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