Ryan Bertrand would be interested in making Southampton deal permanent

Chelsea fullback Ryan Bertrand is spending the season on loan at Southampton, and on Tuesday, he was asked about the possibility of staying with the club beyond the 2014/15 season. Here's what he had to say:

"It is one of them things where I've got to wait and see, but, for me, there's no reason why not, to be honest. There is a good base to the club, we're pulling in the right direction. We have fantastic fans, fantastic players, a fantastic manager and the coaching staff."

"It has been a good experience for me so far so I don't see why not. For me, it is a first in many aspects, especially with the consistency of football I'm getting."

It's great that Bertrand is enjoying his time on the south coast,and hopefully Southampton are as enthusiastic about keeping the player around as he seems to be about staying. If so, I really can't imagine Chelsea would stand in the way of a permanent deal away, as they've really shown no hesitation in sending players they deem surplus to the requirements to clubs they'll be competing against domestically.

That said, any chance Bertrand has of joining the Saints on a permanent basis is going to be largely dependent on what sort of offer the club makes. Bertrand has played well enough this season that there will be plenty of clubs with interest, and given the player's homegrown status and the dearth of decent left backs available, there are certain to be other bids.