SAINTS are being linked with yet another Chelsea prospect – but who exactly is Tino Anjorin?

The 20-year-old winger is currently on loan in Russia with Lokomotiv Moscow, but Saints are reportedly interested in bringing the England under-20 international back to the south coast.

That’s right- Anjorin has connections to the south coast in general, and Saints itself. Born down the road in Poole, Anjorin grew up in Dorset where he started his football journey.

Back in 2019, his father, Sheriff Anjorin, told the Bournemouth Echo about his early days with a ball at his feet.

“At Littledown they used to do a club called the Baby Brooklyns club, I guess it was named after Brooklyn Beckham.

“It was for two to three year olds. He was in that. He went down there and it was just ridiculous. He was just dribbling past everybody, even boys that were older than him and it just started from there really.

“What took us to Littledown was Adam Lallana started there as well, in the indoors. Littledown was definitely the place where all of my boys started playing football.”

Saints’ neighbours Bournemouth turned down the chance to sign Anjorin as they believed he was too young – paving the way for the then six-year-old to join Saints.

Sheriff explained that soon after joining Saints, a potential job relocation meant Tino was on the move again, this time to Chelsea.

“Southampton took him in when he was about six to do a little bit of training and while he was there, I got a job relocation.

“I was going to move up to Croydon, but in the middle of all that Tino ended up going to Chelsea. But then the job fell through and we were a bit stuck.

“We were a little bit caught between the two, but we still continued the commitment of getting him up and down. Thankfully it’s all paid off.”

At Chelsea, Anjorin soon became fast friends with current Saint Dynel Simeu, with the pair rising through the ranks at Cobham – and the England youth ranks.

Unlike Simeu, who was only named in a Chelsea matchday squad once, Anjorin made his Blues debut in the EFL Cup against Grimsby in 2019. He made a handful of appearances across numerous competitions, playing once apiece in the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup.

Any deal to bring Anjorin in will be complicated by the fact Premier League clubs can only borrow one player from another Prem side per season – meaning one of Armando Broja and Anjorin would have to join permanently in order for both to sign for Saints.

Reports suggest that Lokomotiv Moscow have an option to purchase Anjorin for £17m, giving Saints a rough ball-park figure of what it will require to bring the Nigerian-eligible winger to St Mary’s.

Anjorin would become the fourth player to join Saints this season from Chelsea, with Tino Livramento, Simeu and Broja already making the move southwards.