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Southampton: Scouting report – Saints target Felipe Anderson

By Chris Hughes

ROME, ROMA - APRIL 04: Felipe Anderson of SS Lazio during the SS Lazio training session on April 4, 2018 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Marco Rosi/Getty Images)
ROME, ROMA - APRIL 04: Felipe Anderson of SS Lazio during the SS Lazio training session on April 4, 2018 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Marco Rosi/Getty Images) /
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Yesterday afternoon a report emerged suggesting Southampton were keen on Felipe Anderson, someone who could be a massive coup for the Saints.

The deal would almost certainly cost the south coast side a record fee, especially as the Saints aren’t alone in their reported interest in the Brazilian.

Despite not quite being a ‘prospect for the future’ anymore at 25, Anderson is still young and could yet flourish into a really accomplished first-team player.

However this past season he has found starts hard to come by, with 12 of his 21 league appearances this  campaign being off the substitutes bench.

Despite this he was still directly involved in 11 goals, which is impressive based on him making just nine official starts in the league. He also scored a further three goals in the Europa League, only adding to what was a fairly efficient season in Italy.

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CROTONE, ITALY – MAY 13: Bruno Martellaof Crotone competes for the ball with Felipe Anderson of Lazio during the serie A match between FC Crotone and SS Lazio at Stadio Comunale Ezio Scida on May 13, 2018 in Crotone, Italy. (Photo by Maurizio Lagana/Getty Images)
CROTONE, ITALY – MAY 13: Bruno Martellaof Crotone competes for the ball with Felipe Anderson of Lazio during the serie A match between FC Crotone and SS Lazio at Stadio Comunale Ezio Scida on May 13, 2018 in Crotone, Italy. (Photo by Maurizio Lagana/Getty Images) /

As a player Anderson is pacey and versatile, something which Southampton’s squad desperately lacks – he also has a lot of tricks in his locker, meaning he could be compared to previous Saints winger Sadio Mane. His superior pace makes him more comparable to the Senegalese than Moroccan Sofiane Boufal.

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Felipe Anderson is also a hard worker with a mean cross, something which would benefit Southampton as they are partial to whipping the ball in with the likes of Dusan Tadic, James Ward-Prowse and both of their first-choice full-backs all possessing a good delivery.

Despite this he is yet to have a serious breakout season in terms of goal-scoring, even though he moved to Italy from his native Brazil just under four and a half years ago.

In fact, the winger’s best return in terms of goals since moving to Europe was in his first full campaign in 2014/15, where he scored ten times in the league and scored a single goal in the cup competitions. In the last two seasons he’s only scored eight league goals collectively however, something which has correlated with a slight drop in playing time.

On the international level Anderson would be hoping that a potential move to England would put him back on the radar of his international side – he has made just the one international appearance for the senior team and that came way back in 2016 during the Rio Olympics.

To look at the weaker sides of his game, the 25-year-old is obviously not a hugely natural finisher but he is also quite weak – in a much more physical league like the Premier League, Anderson may struggle to adapt to the tougher nature on the division.

However if the opportunity does arise for the Saints to get ahead of the competition and sign the Brazilian, they must jump at the chance.