Premier League managers have previously discussed whether new signings should be allowed to play in rearranged fixtures, and one boss believes it should be implemented.
This season has already been pretty unprecedented in terms of the amount of games that have been postponed in the Premier League, thanks to Covid of course.
There's going to be quite a bit of midweek football coming up as teams try to catch up, which could be good for Fantasy Football players' mental health, and we're no idea exactly when all the postponements will stop.
With the transfer window being open right now, managers could be preparing for very different opponents when they eventually get games on, especially for anyone playing against Newcastle United in the coming weeks.
That might be exactly why Ralph Hasenhuttl raised the idea of new signings being banned from playing in rescheduled matches, if they weren't at the team at the time of the original fixture date.
"We were discussing in the last Premier League meeting about what happens with the winter signings in the postponed games and whether they are allowed to play or not," the Southampton manager revealed in his press conference of Friday.
"I raised it at the last Premier League meeting and that we should think about it because of the integrity of the league.
“It’s not really fair to play in games that have been postponed and the last word hasn’t been spoken so far.”
The Saints game with Newcastle was supposed to be played on January 2nd but was postponed due to a mixture of Covid cases and injuries.
There hasn't been enough transparency in which games are being postponed and which aren't, which has been an annoyance for some teams.
Newcastle are the team most likely to be different when they play future fixtures, with their new owners now able to add to the squad for the first time since buying them.
The Magpies announced the signing of Kieran Trippier from Atletico Madrid on Friday, their first addition to the squad, and others are expected to follow.
Southampton also have new owners, and their manager also recognises that his team could also take advantage, adding, "We have 18 games postponed so far, and it is something that you cannot stop playing in December and wait for the signings in January to play.
"Nobody has done this, but it could be an opportunity in the future and this is what we shouldn’t get.
"But it’s also the same for us because we have a new owner and could sign four players and then play against Brentford with a different team.
“This is not fair, and it’s why they should be thinking about it.”
Featured Image Credit: PA/NUFCTopics: Transfers, Kieran Trippier, Newcastle United, Premier League, Southampton, Ralph Hasenhuttl
Ryan Sidle