Southampton early season review: Jannik Vestergaard
By Marc Walker
Southampton looked to plug a gap in their defence this summer with the signing of Danish international Jannik Vestergaard from Borussia Monchengladbach.
A deal worth around £18m was agreed with the Bundesliga club back in July as the Saints tried to put right some of the problems from the 2017/18 season and return to something reminiscent of past Southampton defences including the likes of Virgil Van-Dijk and Toby Alderweireld.
It seemed as though the 6ft 6in Centre Back would bring some aerial dominance that had been lacking, whilst also being hard to miss when he turned out in a Saints shirt.
After playing in three of the opening four Premier League matches, the 26-year-old has looked a great addition to Mark Hughes’ squad. It has taken him little time to adjust to the pace of English football and he could become a favourite on the South Coast very quickly.
Despite missing the 2-1 loss at Everton through illness, he has averaged four aerial duels won (2nd in squad), 6.5 clearances (1st in squad), 1.3 tackles (6th in squad) and a passing accuracy of 82.8% (3rd in squad). (stats according to whoscored.com)
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For a man of such height, he doesn’t shy away from possession and looks to be proactive rather than scared of taking responsibility; something that some players were accused of doing last season.
Pre-season performances from Vestergaard showed him adjusting to the English game, like when he looked ponderous at times during Saints’ 3-0 loss at Derby County. However, all players take time to fit in and it seems as though he certainly has now.
A lot has also been made of the early signs when he is included next to Wesley Hoedt. The Dutchman – criticised for being a weak link in the Saints defence despite his relative youth – looks more confident and assured when partnered with Vestergaard.
In many ways this is important as a number of combinations have been tried over the last year and not always worked. Along with the reliable Cedric and Bertrand, a regular first-choice backline is potentially not far away.
The addition of Vestergaard also hints at the return of the more trustworthy way of bringing in players for Saints, with quality players just under the radar of top clubs being scouted and analysed in every small detail and eventually signed for an achievable fee.
The Dane still has a lot of football ahead of him this season, but a continuation of his early season form could prove vital for Southampton for the rest of the campaign.