THE full ramifications of Alex Chamberlain’s declaration that he wants to leave St Mary’s should become clearer tomorrow.

Saints will host Athletic Bilbao and Werder Bremen in the pre-season Markus Liebherr Memorial Cup tournament.

The triangular competition marks the first time Nigel Adkins’ men will have played since Chamberlain expressed his desire to make a move to the Premier League this summer.

The 17-year-old, who is a target of Arsenal, rocked Saints by conducting a pair of national newspaper interviews this week in which he made it clear he sees his future away from St Mary’s.

And the shattering revelations have given Adkins a big decision to make ahead of the new Championship campaign.

With Chamberlain intent on leaving, the Saints boss, left, must decide how big a role the teenager should play in the rest of pre-season.

In normal circumstances, the winger would form an integral part of the first-team’s preparations.

However, if Saints are expecting to lose him this summer then there will be playing time.

With that in mind, the Memorial Cup, as well as the next week in general, should give a good insight into how the club sees the situation developing.

And, as the player is under contract until 2013, it is entirely possible Adkins could decide to simply proceed as normal and take the assumption that he will start the season in the red and white of Saints, and not a Premier League side.

Chamberlain will likely play some part in tomorrow’s event, with most of the first-team squad expected to get a run out.

But exactly how much action he receives remains to be seen.

While Saints aren’t currently blessed with great depth out wide, they do have other options.

Adam Lallana is arguably the most influential winger – and perhaps player – the club possesses, regardless of Chamberlain.

Beyond him, there is Lee Holmes, who impressed during the pre-season tour of Switzerland, and speedster Jonathan Forte.

If the club does sacrifice Chamberlain’s playing time, then it is those two who are most likely to benefit.

Brazilian forward Guly do Prado can also put in a shift on the flanks, as can left-back Ben Reeves if necessary.

Of course, Jason Puncheon – who played in the Premier League with loan club Blackpool last season – is a theoretical option, but no longer forms part of Adkins’ first-team plans.

That much was obvious by the fact he turned out for Saints’ under-21 team in a friendly at AFC Totton on Wednesday evening. However, the 25-year-old is still waiting to be given permission to speak to another club.

The crowd reaction to Chamberlain if he is involved tomorrow will also be interesting.

Some supporters will have been stung by his comments, although that will perhaps be tempered by the teenager being very complimentary of the club and their fans in his interviews.

But there will no doubt be some apprehension for Chamberlain if he plays.

Tomorrow’s tournament, which features Spanish team Athletic Bilbao and German outfit Werder Bremen, is an important part of Saints’ preparations for their return to the Championship.

Including the Memorial Cup, in which each side will play two 45-minute games, the club has just three first-team friendlies left before kicking-off against Leeds under the glare of the Sky TV cameras on Saturday, August 6.

Adkins last night re-iterated his desire for Chamberlain to stay at St Mary’s.

“Obviously in the last couple of days there have been a few comments that have come out nationally,” he said. “The expectation for a 17- year-old boy and his parents to be linked with big football clubs obviously will play on people’s minds, but I think he’s handled himself ever so well, and he’s loved at Southampton.

“We believe it’s better for him to stay at Southampton and play his football and keep developing. We’ve got to try to make sure we look after a young boy who’s handled himself ever so well but has been placed in a situation with speculation.

“It’s speculation with big football clubs people always dream about.”