Brek Shea reportedly could go to Southampton on loan

Brek Shea has been looking for a new home all summer, and Stoke City seem happy to let him leave, but he has yet to find a club to move to. That may have changed, with Southampton reportedly showing interest.

According to Goal, the Southampton are in discussions with Stoke to take Shea on loan for the season. The move would keep Shea in the Premier League and at a club that is at least as good as the one he would be leaving.

Shea hasn't found any playing time since signing with Stoke in January of 2013 for a reported $4 million fee. He couldn't crack the Potters' team and even when he went on loan to Barnsley in the Championship last season, he play was hardly spectacular.

With no prospect of playing tim at Stoke, Shea has been looking for a move elsewhere. He has been linked to an MLS return, but he is reportedly set on staying in Europe and has interest from Bundesliga clubs, as well as Eredivisie sides and even a few Championship teams. Southampton are the biggest club to be firmly linked to him, though, and one would figure that the Saints would be his top choice.

Southampton would be an odd fit for Shea because they have Dusan Tadic on the left wing. He just joined the club this summer and hasn't gotten off to the best of starts in England, but he is a very talented player. If Shea went to Southampton, it would almost assuredly be as a bench player, even if he played well, which makes it a peculiar move when there are several clubs in the Eredivisie who have a gaping hole on the left.

Wherever Shea goes, he needs to play. Jurgen Klinsmann handed him a lifeline, calling him in for the friendly against the Czech Republic next week, but he can't expect to spend much more time with the United States unless he starts finding the field at the club level. At 24 years old, Shea is no longer an up-and-comer, he needs to be playing and playing well.