World Cup Scouted is a regular Saints Marching series throughout the tournament in Russia, offering a standout player who could potential be a star for Southampton.
As we reach the latter stages of the World Cup, you would think that WCS would be over with only some seriously top quality players remaining, however with many of the big boys already going home, there’s still potential for the series to live on.
And sadly for the team in question, today’s episode features a player who incidentally did lose yesterday – Diego Laxalt of Uruguay.
Oscar Tabarez’s side go home after a 2-0 defeat to France courtesy of a Raphael Varane header and an effort from Antoine Griezmann which was fumbled by goalie Muslera.
However Uruguay have been solid so far this tournament, getting past Portugal to reach the last eight despite not being given much chance against Cristiano Ronaldo’s side. One of the former’s best players this tournament outside of their star forwards has been Laxalt.
The 25-year-old is naturally a left-sided midfielder, however he has been playing as a left-back for his national side this tournament, making four appearances in total.
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With that in mind, it seems like his current skill-set would make him the perfect candidate to play on the left side of a 3-4-2-1, a formation which it seems Southampton may set up in this coming campaign.
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Naturally, the Saints have Ryan Bertrand to occupy that position, but there’s no guarantee that the Englishman will be a Southampton player come August. So far rumours of his future have been few and far between, but his lack of interest at the end of the last season made many think he was on his way out.
A return to his former side Chelsea has been speculated for some time, whilst Manchester United are still in need of a really talented left-back, having rotated between Ashley Young, Mateo Darmian and Luke Shaw this past year.
Laxalt meanwhile currently plays for Genoa in the Serie A, a side he has played for for two years, whilst being tied down for a further four – this could make things a bit tricky and/or expensive.
However the Uruguayan possesses great pace, good versatility and a nice passing game, something we’ve seen on display for his national side this summer. The ex-Inter man could slot really nicely into Southampton’s set-up if he joined, and he’s at a nice age where he was room to grow without being too inexperienced.
Granted, if Ryan Bertrand is to move on this summer, Southampton may pass the mantle of left-wing-back onto Matt Targett, with the club clearly showing a desire to keep hold of him after rejecting an array of bids from promoted side Fulham.
However with Sam McQueen’s future also up in the air having been linked with Bristol City in the past, Southampton may be forced to deal their hand this summer, and signing someone more natural to a left-midfield position could be a smart move. Laxalt therefore remains a solid possibility for the Saints.