It’s much far from a secret that Southampton are in the market for a new centre-half this summer, given their backline woes during the last campaign that saw them boast a poor defensive record in the Premier League; conceding 65 goals in the process.
We recently went into depth regarding whether the club needed to invest in their defence, and though it could be argued that Saints manager Ralph Hasenhuttl could get the best out of his current options; there is large outcry from the fanbase for the addition of a new dominant centre-half.
The south-coast club have been linked to a handful of names from multiple different nations and leagues, and though names the likes of Willi Orban and Dayot Upamecano from RB Leipzig sound like dreamy additions; Bristol City’s Adam Webster is a much more realistic thought.
Look past his former Pompey links, and the 24-year-old is already an established player within his own right given standout performances in the Championship for Bristol City last campaign.
So what would Adam Webster bring to Southampton’s defence? For one, the biggest asset to his game is his aerial presence and dominance in which he averages 6.4 aerials won per game (pg) – stat via who scored.com. The same linked site also marks Webster’s ball interception and concentration as strong parts of his game.
Besides his aerial record; some other impressive stats that the centre-half boasts are his clearances (4.3pg), interceptions (2.1pg) and fouls that average just below one every game and therefore making him unlikely to give away set-pieces in opposition friendly areas.
Given his impressive stats and style of play, the next question would be how much would Southampton have to invest to sign Webster?
This is not so easy to pin down due to multiple rumours quoting different price tags from as low of £12M to as high as £30M and therefore it is a real game of guessing; but to give it some context, transfermarkt has a value of just over £8M for the six-foot-three centre-half. But given most English players have a home-grown status premium added to their transfer, a fee of around double that at £16-20M seems more viable.
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Some may argue that Dayot Upamecano at the of value of £30M that has been reported is of better value and a bigger statement of intent than Webster; and though logically this makes sense, there are a couple of reasons to quash this line of thought.
In terms of acquiring Upamecano, it would be surprising for RB Leipzig to part ways with the 20-year-old French star at the stated price; given his potential to be one of the game’s best defenders in years to come.
£45M would most likely be a realistic price for the centre-half, and with Saints trying to run a sustainable transfer policy by selling some of their unwanted assets in the likes of Mario Lemina and Charlie Austin; it is unlikely they’ll be unable to match such a price tag. When you consider that Southampton nearly walked away from the Che Adams deal over a £16M valuation, it puts the situation of the club’s finances into context.
To add, Adam Webster is already suited to life in the English game, and with not being an international export would not need to get settled to a vast change in living conditions thus being more of a low-risk investment. Couple this with being four years wiser than the mentioned Upamecano, and therefore having more wealth of experience to hit the ground running with to which Southampton’s already young-back-line require.
With this, his versatility to play across the whole backline could prove to be a viable asset to Ralph Hasenhuttl given the likability of injuries throughout the season in playing a high-pressing style of play and eagerness to reduce the squad’s numbers so that it is less ‘bloated’. Meaning the current Saints boss could heavily rely on Webster if needed in these scenarios.
Webster suits the transfer policy set out by Hasenhuttl this summer of ‘no signings over the age of 24’, and given his track record of developing young players, Southampton could be a rather attractive destination for the Bristol City star most likely given his desire to compete in the Premier League as soon as possible.