Emmanuel Mayuka’s departure was the only bit of business conducted by Saints on deadline day, with Billy Sharp unable to secure a move away from the club.

As expected, there were no new arrivals at St Mary’s in the hours before the transfer window shut, with the club feeling they had already addressed their key needs with the signings of Dejan Lovren, Victor Wanyama and Dani Osvaldo earlier in the summer.

It had looked like it would be a busy day in terms of outgoings, yet Mayuka was the only player to leave, joining French club Sochaux on a season-long loan.Fellow striker Sharp, who has been told he has no first-team future under Mauricio Pochettino, had been tipped to become the highest-profile exit from Saints.

However, despite attracting interest from a number of Championship clubs, who had hoped to take him on loan, no deal was struck for the 27-year-old.

The stumbling block is understood to be Saints’ insistence that any side taking the player pays 100 per cent of his wages.

Sharp, whose contract runs until 2015, could still leave once the loan window opens for teams outside of the top flight next week.

However, that would require either a softening of Saints’ stance, or a Championship club willing to fund all of his wages, the latter of which appears unlikely.

Sharp was not the only senior player with no future at St Mary’s who did not leave yesterday.

Lee Barnard, Jonathan Forte and Tadanari Lee have also stayed put for now.

Zambian forward Mayuka was the only player able to secure a move away from the club.

His switch to Ligue 1 side Sochaux came less than a week after scoring his first goal for Saints, in a 5-1 victory at Barnsley in the Capital One Cup.

However, that strike could not mask what has been a disappointing spell for the 22-year-old since his arrival from Swiss side BSC Young Boys a year ago.

Speaking about his move, Mayuka said: “I am pleased to be here and am looking forward to joining my new team-mates and helping my new team. I will try to do my best to score as many goals as possible. I want to help the team so that we reach our goals.”