World Cup Scouted is a regular Saints Marching series running throughout this tournament in Russia – offering a standout player who could bring something to the Southampton squad.
After a three-day break due to the lack of WiFi, World Cup Scouted is back! The final round of group stage games are among us, with four of the eight groups having been determined already.
Among those who could’ve made the cut for this episode include Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Nigeria’s young goalkeeper Francis Uzoho, but for a change of position, I’ve instead opted for Denmark’s Mathias Jorgensen.
The Dane has played in two of his side’s three matches at this stage of the competition, with his side reaching the knockout stages courtesy of a goalless draw with France yesterday. Fans of the Premier League will be familiar with Zanka, as he currently plies his trade with Huddersfield.
Signing from a fellow Premier League side can be costly, but with Southampton almost certain to have better survival odds than the Terriers, a move for the Dane may not be totally unreasonable.
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The Saints are in desperate need of a new centre-back – despite having four of them on their books they are all relatively similar and the side need to bring in a more physical, old-school defender.
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Both Alfie Mawson and Frenchman Christopher Jullien are great suggestions with the duo having being linked with the Saints in the past, and Jorgensen is a similar style of player to the aforementioned pair.
Standing at six-foot-three, the Dane cost Huddersfield just £2.5 million meaning the Saints could potentially sign him for around four times that when you take into account that the Terriers would drive a hard bargain against a fellow English side.
The 28-year-old was a member of an exclusive club last season, as one of a handful of players who featured in all 38 Premier League games last campaign.
For Denmark he has played a solid role in them finishing second in Group C, playing alongside the likes of Simon Kjaer and Chelsea’s Andreas Christensen, they conceded just once in all games and not once from open play.
Jorgensen may not be the supporters’ first-choice for his a new centre-back, but the Danish defender remains a very possible option.