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2016/17 Southampton season review: Nathan Redmond

By Chris Hughes

SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND - APRIL 29: Nathan Redmond of Southampton arrives prior to the Premier League match between Southampton and Hull City at St Mary's Stadium on April 29, 2017 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images)
SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND - APRIL 29: Nathan Redmond of Southampton arrives prior to the Premier League match between Southampton and Hull City at St Mary's Stadium on April 29, 2017 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images) /
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Nathan Redmond was one of Southampton’s main imports last summer, and he has gone on to be one of the Saints’ most important players this season.

Signed from a relegated Norwich after failing to keep the the Canaries in the Premier League, Redmond was brought in relatively cheaply, for only £10 million or so.

A year later and the 23-year-old has made his first senior England appearance, having also led the Saints in scoring in the league with seven from 37 league games.

His return was the best of his career so far, having previously scored six for Norwich the season before. He added to his game with a single assist and an 83-percent pass success rate.

However over the course of the season he was relatively inconsistent, scoring in bursts and at times struggling to make a serious impact. On three occasions over the course of the season he went around six or seven games without scoring.

Despite this he still scored some nice goals over the course of the year, including on his Saints debut against Watford. He also scored against Burnley, Manchester City, Liverpool, Crystal Palace, and another two against the Hornets in the reverse fixture.

Redmond failed to play the full 90 minutes in around a third of all his 50 appearances, and was also sent off on one occasion in the 4-1 loss to Tottenham Hotspur.

Despite this his tender age means he will only improve into next season, with four years remaining on his current deal.

Next: Oriol Romeu season review

WEST BROMWICH, ENGLAND – APRIL 08: Nathan Redmond of Southampton reads the match day programme on the pitch prior to the Premier League match between West Bromwich Albion and Southampton at The Hawthorns on April 8, 2017 in West Bromwich, England. (Photo by Tony Marshall/Getty Images)
WEST BROMWICH, ENGLAND – APRIL 08: Nathan Redmond of Southampton reads the match day programme on the pitch prior to the Premier League match between West Bromwich Albion and Southampton at The Hawthorns on April 8, 2017 in West Bromwich, England. (Photo by Tony Marshall/Getty Images) /

Varying positions

Nathan Redmond’s role within the squad varied over the months, with the attacker actually starting the season as a striker when Claude Puel deployed the narrow diamond formation.

Redmond’s ability down the centre was debatable, with his natural pace his only saviour with the wide positions his more natural surroundings.

When Puel rotated and brought in the 4-2-3-1 Redmond was re-deployed in his more natural wing position. He ended up playing about 35 of his games down either wing.

Despite this Redmond was still a dangerous player last season, as he succeeded in a couple of dribbles per game and made 1.5 key passes despite his low assist tally.

My verdict

Despite his inconsistency at times, I’ve really rated Nathan Redmond this season and I think in the absence of Charlie Austin we would’ve been a lot worse off with the young winger.

He’s definitely better out wide than down the middle, but I think he’ll have an effect on the game wherever he’s played. I think he deserves an eight.

Nathan Redmond: 8/10