Southampton: Nathan Redmond could be vital in 2018/19

The 24-year-old endured a frustrating season just past, in which he came under fire for not providing Saints with the spark that so many know he is capable of.

And now with Dusan Tadic’s Ajax move looking imminent, and Sofiane Boufal’s future unclear, Redmond could become extremely important.

So why Redmond you might ask, well besides his two team-mates listed above, the Englishman has proven from time to time to have made an impact in a Southampton shirt in terms of being a creative spark.

Last season there were not too many cases of this, only a crucial goal against Everton at Goodison Park is the only exception to this statement, which almost gave Saints a crucial win at what was a tense time. In total, Redmond had a four goal involvement in 31 Premier League appearances for the 2017/18 campaign (22 starts, nine as sub), which of course sounds very underwhelming, however it could be argued that the player was not utilised in the best way under Mauricio Pellegrino, who took stewardship of the Saints for the most part of these stats.

Many fans would know that under the Argentine manager, Southampton played a very possession-based non-direct style of play to which players were encouraged to pass side-ways as opposed to press on higher up the pitch and get around the back of the opposition.

Even after the appointment of Mark Hughes it was evident that this was not fully drilled out of the players, to which this did not make the best of Redmond’s dribbling and speed capabilities.

Next: Cedric and Portugal earn World Cup win

It should also be pointed out that Redmond actually performed better in his first season with Saints whilst managed by Claude Puel, who again did not like to play a direct style of play, the former-Norwich star instead posting an eight-goal involvement in 37 Premier League appearances.

More from Saints Marching

• Grading the Southampton Transfer Window Part 2: Arrivals
• Grading the Southampton Transfer Window Part 1: Departures
• It’s time to talk about Gavin Bazunu
• Rain clouds on the horizon? Southampton beat Plymouth Argyle
• A lament for Southampton legend James Ward-Prowse

These figures might not be the most complimentary to the player, but the matter of the fact is that over the past two seasons, Redmond has not been used to his strengths and therefore has not been able to make as big of an impact as many would’ve anticipated, though that could change under new management in Mark Hughes, a very experienced Premier League coach.

The Welshman has previously been quoted saying that he wants Southampton to ‘dictate the opposition‘ and therefore be on the front foot, to which Redmond could play a part in these plans quite easily given his listed capabilities.

To also add, the player’s potential is one that is highly-anticipated, having been on the scene since the age of 17 playing in the Europa League for Birmingham, Redmond has always been highly thought of by the media and fans a like – it could only be a matter of time before he buds into the star many have predicted.

The reason why this could happen now? Well with Southampton’s hierarchy clutching at straws in bringing in attacking talent to replace potential departing stars (Tadic & Boufal), Redmond could become the main man as a CAM or winger.

It is clear that on his day he can cause most teams problems, and with an experienced manager helping him learn his trade from the summer onwards, it could push Redmond on to post good numbers for the upcoming campaign.

This is all of course very dependent, and we are yet to see Redmond have a larger goal involvement than nine in a single Premier League campaign (2015/16) – however to not consider him as a potential star would not be well advised despite having some rough around the edge qualities to his play. Perform like he did against Everton at Goodison park on a consistent basis, then the Englishmen could turn out to be an integral player in the Southampton squad.