I'm going to remain (insanely) positive in that I still have a hunch that EZY will open a small two-aircraft base at SOU in the relatively near future.
If one looks at the provisional timetable shown for Jet2 at Bournemouth next year, if one excludes the fact that some of the destinations are beyond the reliable range achievable from SOU, similar timings to those proposed by Jet2, offering 27 flights a week but to slightly shorter destinations would work even within Southampton's restricted opening hours, ie, two crack of dawn departures and two early afternoon departures. With a few additional flights/routes flown from other EZY bases a comprehensive little network of leisure/city-break/friends-and-family and even occasional business routes could be established and would secure EasyJet's position on the South Coast, with a clear product differential - a slightly posher airline at a slightly posher airport, not much of a difference I know, but enough to have something to latch onto to provide a bit of a USP.
I'm not connected even remotely with the aviation industry, I'm purely a 'local' who has a passing interest in aviation and who uses the local airport when I can. 😊