Southampton seemingly on the hunt for target man striker
By Chris Hughes
Despite tying Sam Gallagher down to a new four-year contract, the Saints are apparently still in the market for a physical striker.
According to a report in German tabloid BILD, Southampton submitted a bid of around £15 million for Hoffenheim’s Sandro Wagner, shortly before he extended his contract another year until 2020.
A late bloomer, the 29-year-old only made his debut for the German senior side this year, having scored 27 goals in all competitions over the past two seasons.
Whilst the Saints were unsuccessful, it shows that Southampton are still in the market for a taller, more physical striker. Looking at their current attacking options and it’s clear that they lack a target man.
Having been blessed with either Rickie Lambert or Graziano Pelle since returning to the Premier League, last campaign was the first in which a brute of a striker wasn’t present on the Southampton roster, something which could well have contributed to their poor season.
But the links to Wagner – who stands at six-foot-four – mean more than it may seem. It means that Les Reed and co. are still targeting a big man despite Gallagher’s extended contract.
Charlie Austin and Manolo Gabbiadini are no slouches, but it’d also be naive to suggest that either could play as a target man – Southampton really need a striker who can have crosses lumped into him in order to snatch a goal for your team.
However with Shane Long struggling to find his 2015/16 form, it could of also been argued that the Saints could do with a pacier striker who can burst between the lines, but it seems the Southampton scouts are eyeing up a different type of striker.
Whilst Wagner might not of been the perfect option for the Saints, it still shows the direction the board are seemingly going in.