Southampton 2017/18 season review: Wesley Hoedt

When Wesley Hoedt arrived on the scene for a bigger fee than Southampton had ever spent on a defender, there was plenty of expectation for him to hit the ground running.

In truth, the Dutchman did just that, as he was impressive once he made a first-team spot his own under Mauricio Pellegrino.

The Argentine manager didn’t do much to help the centre-back however, as it was clear the 46-year-old hadn’t decided on his strongest XI and as a result Hoedt was in and out of the first-team despite putting in some impressive performances, in particular against Crystal Palace.

Towards the festive period it became obvious that Hoedt was struggling with Pellegrino’s tinkering, as there were suggestions that like many he was unhappy with the way things were going at the Saints – you can’t really blame him.

Going past the January transfer window and Hoedt enjoyed perhaps his weakest run of the season – he partnered Jack Stephens for an extensive period of time but was definitely the weaker of the two.

Next: 2017/18 season review: Wesley Hoedt

Hoedt’s poor run was summed-up by the game against West Ham – Hughes’ first league game in charge which saw the Saints royally thumped by relegation-rivals West Ham.

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In the game at the London Stadium, the Dutchman was poor throughout and for the Hammers’ third he watched the ball fly over his head and straight onto the foot of an unmarked Marko Arnautovic who scored his second of the game.

However after that game Mark Hughes began to deploy a 5-4-1 formation which saw Hoedt play as part of a back-three – this correlated in an upturn in form for the ex-Lazio man.

At the end of the season Hoedt was much stronger and finished the campaign on a high – he was consistent at the back and instrumental in a lot of the Saints’ end-of-year form.

The 24-year-old made a total of 28 league appearances all-in-all, a solid return considering Pellegrino’s early-season tinkering.

However for a £15 million investment – the most the Saints have ever spent on a defender – it must be said Hoedt hasn’t quite lived up to the bill. He should’ve realistically been Southampton’s best defender by far but both Yoshida and Stephens were better than the Dutchman for periods of the season.

Verdict

Wesley Hoedt: 6.5/10