Ryan Bertrand won't be going anywhere in January amid links with a move to Arsenal.
That's the verdict of former Arsenal defender Martin Keown, who believes that the 31-year-old defender will be staying put on the south coast.
Bertrand's contract with Southampton is due to expire this summer, with the former Chelsea left-back now in the final six months of his current deal.
Talks over a new contract are ongoing with Southampton and Bertrand has previously spoken of his intention to stay at St Mary's, where he has been for the last seven years after joining Saints from Chelsea in 2014, initially on loan before making the move permanent.
But with no new contract signed as yet, other clubs are said to be monitoring his situation, with Arsenal among the clubs linked with a move for the 31-year-old.
Arsenal are keen to bolster their options at left-back, with Bertrand one of a number of stars who could potentially offer competition to Kieran Tierney.
However, Keown does not expect Bertrand to be joining Arsenal anytime soon.
Speaking on BT Sport's coverage of Southampton's FA Cup fourth round tie with Arsenal, which Saints won 1-0, he said: “He has that experience. This is a young team here [at Southampton], so I don’t think he is going anywhere.”
Bertrand himself has hinted that a new deal is not far away from being agreed, with the Southampton defender speaking positively about talks with the club.
Speaking earlier this month, Bertrand told BBC Sport “I want to stay at the club. I want to be part of this and to keep going and to keep developing. I want to see how far we can go. We can do some great things.”
“I love being here. I have grown on the field, off the field and I’ve learned a lot of things.
“We’re now at a stage where we were during my first three years here. There was a bit of turbulence but now we’ve got it back.
“The seatbelts are fully fastened now, let’s see how far we go.”
