Southampton: Josh Sims is the wing option that Saints need long-term

After his impressive cameo in the second-half of Southampton’s 2-1 win over Spurs last weekend, Josh Sims could well be a useful option for the Saints long-term.

A poor first-half from Saints had seen them 1-0 down but lucky to not be further behind after Spurs’ dominance.

However, sending both Sims and Shane Long on saw Ralph Hasenhuttl give his side an outlet upfront and some genuine pace to trouble the visiting defence.

The way that Sims acquitted himself to such a crucial game was most impressive considering he had been on-loan with Reading for the first part of 2018/19 and hadn’t been able to break regularly into the Championship side’s first-team.

Just five league starts came for him with the Royals, whilst 12 further appearances saw him appear from the bench and amount to 596 minutes of senior action.

SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND – MARCH 09: Josh Sims of Southampton is challenged by Jan Vertonghen of Tottenham Hotspur during the Premier League match between Southampton FC and Tottenham Hotspur at St Mary’s Stadium on March 09, 2019 in Southampton, United Kingdom. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) /

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For whatever reason, the loan move didn’t work out for him but he certainly burst back onto the scene at St Mary’s on Saturday with a spring in his step.

With Saints needing to harness every contribution from their players until the end of the season, Sims could play an important part in their fight for survival.

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The squad that Hasenhuttl has at his disposal doesn’t currently have a player like him as an option on the wing and he will add something different.

Players such as Nathan Redmond and Stuart Armstrong prefer to come inside and attack defences from central positions, whilst Mohamed Elyounoussi hasn’t lived up to his reputation at all so far.

On Saturday, Sims was positioned on the right and drove towards the byline whenever he could; something that the other wingers/attacking midfielders haven’t been used to doing during this campaign.

He appears to be slight to defenders who may fancy their chance in a challenge with him but he can then make full use of the excellent agility and speed on the ball that he possesses.

A number of moves that were built up in the Spurs half involved him and some flowing attacks were put together with the likes of Long and Redmond.

Another positive for Sims is that he currently has a lot to prove to get into Hasenhuttl’s thoughts ahead of next season and he can surely do this if he keeps performing when called upon.

He may not start many of the final eight Premier League games but he could be a valuable weapon when things aren’t going well for Saints.