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Can Sofiane Boufal’s first season at Southampton be considered a success?

By Chris Hughes

SWANSEA, WALES - JANUARY 31: Sofiane Boufal of Southampton and Angel Rangel of Swansea City compete for the ball during the Premier League match between Swansea City and Southampton at Liberty Stadium on January 31, 2017 in Swansea, Wales. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
SWANSEA, WALES - JANUARY 31: Sofiane Boufal of Southampton and Angel Rangel of Swansea City compete for the ball during the Premier League match between Swansea City and Southampton at Liberty Stadium on January 31, 2017 in Swansea, Wales. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images) /
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Sofiane Boufal arrived at the St. Mary’s Stadium to be the team’s game changer following Sadio Mane’s departure – but can his first season in England be considered a success?

The 23-year-old arrived on the south coast labelled as a tricky, pacey winger with the ability to split defenses with ease. He had skills for days and wasn’t scared to run at defenders.

In his first full season with Lille in France the attacking midfielder scored 11 goals in 29 appearances, the most of any player in Frederic Antonetti’s set-up that year.

He joined the French giants from Ligue 2’s Angers in the January of the season before, having previously not played in a top tier of football.

But after a year playing in England, can his arrival be considered a success? Has the Moroccan international warranted his reported £16 million price tag?

BOURNEMOUTH, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 18: Sofiane Boufal of Southampton during the Premier League match between AFC. Bournemouth and Southampton at Vitality Stadium on December 18, 2016 in Bournemouth, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)
BOURNEMOUTH, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 18: Sofiane Boufal of Southampton during the Premier League match between AFC. Bournemouth and Southampton at Vitality Stadium on December 18, 2016 in Bournemouth, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images) /

Naturally there needs to be an adjustment period for players joining from overseas clubs, but that doesn’t escape the fact that Boufal’s stats this season have been slightly below par.

He’s yet to register a single assist in the league, and has scored just two goals from a total of 22 appearances in all competitions.

However Boufal is still averaging one key pass per game and is also averaging around 3.4 dribbles per match – the nearest to that figure in the whole Saints squad is Nathan Redmond, who is averaging two.

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Despite this, the 23-year-old has failed to score since the turn of the year, with his only goal in the Premier League coming in the 1-0 win over Middlesbrough back in December.

However it’s difficult to truly slate his performances when you take it into account his limited minutes. Boufal hasn’t played a full ninety minutes since the defeat to West Brom on the last day of 2016. In fact from his 22 appearances in all competitions he’s only played 865 minutes. That equates to just 39 minutes per game.

Beyond the stats though it’s clear that Boufal has natural talent to beat a man, something that the current Saints squad lacks.

Besides Nathan Redmond, the Saints lack a real dynamic player and it’s clear that Boufal does have an effect on the attacking end of things. His ability to penetrate the defense is something that doesn’t show up on the stat sheet.

With injuries and a long departure for the African Cup of Nations it’s also tricky to blame is lack of game time on poor form.

But what can’t be ignored is that for his price tag, which stands at the most the Saints have spent on any player, he hasn’t delivered to the extent many have expected