Ex-Sunderland striker Ross Stewart set for fresh challenge as Southampton exit confirmed

Former Sunderland striker Ross Stewart is set to leave Southampton this summer, the Championship club have confirmed.

The Scot - who is currently away on international duty at the World Cup - was part of a Saints squad that fought their way to last month’s play-off final, only to be ousted from the competition after they became embroiled in a spying scandal involving Middlesbrough.

As a consequence, Southampton are gearing up for another year in the second tier, but having released their retained list ahead of the 2026/27 campaign, will do so without Stewart among their ranks.

A statement from Southampton reads: “A fellow promotion-winner in 2024, striker Ross Stewart will leave after featuring 33 times in 2025/26, finding the net on 11 occasions. An option to extend the Scotsman’s contract was not agreed and Stewart will depart having made 50 appearances in total, scoring 12 goals.”

Stewart signed for Southampton in 2023, but has endured an injury-ravaged stint on the south coast, and has been heavily restricted in his involvement across recent seasons. After returning to full fitness earlier this year, the centre-forward showed flashes of the quality that convinced the Saints to pay Sunderland somewhere in the region of £10 million for his services, but leaves St. Mary’s having struggled to make a consistent impact.

During his time on Wearside, Stewart established himself as a firm fan favourite, scoring 40 goals in 80 first team outings - including a vital strike at Wembley in the 2022 League One play-off final.

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What next for former Sunderland striker Ross Stewart?

At this stage, it is unclear as to where Stewart will end up next, but ex-Premier League striker Paul Dickov has urged another former Sunderland man, Celtic boss Martin O’Neill, to take a chance on him.

Speaking to the Daily Record, he said: “Ross has got a lot of qualities - his size, his strength, he’s very quick. What's rare in a centre-forward nowadays is that he wants to run in behind as well. He’s different to what Celtic have got. If he is going to leave Southampton, there will be a lot of clubs that will be interested in him.”

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