SAINTS’ winning form in the past few months has seen an increasing amount of scouts flock to St Mary’s.

Sources have told the Daily Echo that the amount of scouts attending Saints’ home games has increased as the season has progressed.

With the January transfer window fast approaching, the superb form of Rickie Lambert, left, and Dean Hammond have no doubt caught several scouts’ eye.

Both players have been integral to Saints’ climb out of the League One relegation zone to potential play-off candidates.

Lambert has belted 16 goals in 21 league games for Saints while Hammond, right, another astute Alan Pardew signing back in August, has also impressed.

The former Colchester captain has provided plenty of much-needed drive and energy in the centre of midfield.

The 26-year-old, who has taken up the captain’s armband in recent weeks, has also chipped in with four goals.

But the Daily Echo can today reveal that Saints will have no worries over the future of the two star performers when the transfer window opens.

Given their displays, it is not unreasonable to expect higher division teams to be sniffing around one or both of them sooner rather than later.

But any scouts or managers casting envious glances in their direction will have to stop there.

Lambert and Hammond are protected by a FIFA ruling that prevents footballers from playing for more than two clubs in a season.

Comfortingly for Saints, they each started the campaign elsewhere – Lambert at Bristol Rovers and Hammond at Colchester.

Pardew and executive chairman Nicola Cortese obviously have no intention, and crucially no need, to sell their best assets.

It is reassuring for Saints to know that anyone wishing to pry either Lambert or Hammond away will realistically need to wait until the summer before thinking about acting.

Thanks to FIFA, the pair are effectively assured of remaining at Saints for the duration of the season at the very least.

Part of the regulations laid down by football’s world governing body is a “three-club rule”.

It states players may only be registered with three clubs during a season and are only eligible to play official matches for two.

An exception to the rule is loan deals in England, which are not officially counted as transfers.

However, there is almost no scenario in which you could envisage either being loaned out.

The only other loophole is if a player moves to or from a third club that plays their season during the summer, such as in Ireland.