Southampton's ideal January transfer window roundtable

[caption id="attachment_15349" align="aligncenter" width="850"] St Mary's Stadium (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)[/caption]rn Southampton will be searching for transfer targets in this January window to enable them to keep performing well during the remainder of the season. rnThey sit sixth in the Premier League table at the time of writing and have performed admirably so far whilst still playing a high-intensity style of football.rnrnWith rumours flying around, this article from our contributor Ed Waugh starts our roundtable series where our writers suggest what they see happening between now and the end of the month.rnrnTake it away, Ed!rnrn[nextslide teaser="Q1%3A%C2%A0What%20do%20you%20make%20of%20Saints'%20squad%20depth%20at%20the%20moment%20and%20do%20they%20have%20enough%20options%20to%20see%20this%20season%20through%20and%20keep%20up%20their%20current%20form%3F" /]rnrn rnrn[caption id="attachment_17902" align="aligncenter" width="850"] Ralph Hasenhuttl of Southampton (Photo by Robin Jones/Getty Images)[/caption]rn Q1: What do you make of Saints' squad depth at the moment and do they have enough options to see this season through and keep up their current form? rnA: The bench against Liverpool was a good indication of how deep the Southampton squad; in not very. Ralph Hasenhuttl’s only experienced player on the bench was Shane Long, to which the Irishman is past his best form it would seem - given that the former-Hull player didn’t make it onto the pitch.rnrnThere has been some concern that the full-back position lacks options outside of the first-team with Kyle Walker-Peters being the trusted go to option; and despite Yan Valery showing promise in previous seasons - it would seem Hasenhuttl doesn’t trust the young Frenchman defensively, opting to play him as a winger when he played against Liverpool.rnrnWith Saints playing a high-press game, injuries and suspensions are likely, which has been very much the case this current campaign with Nathan Redmond, Oriol Romeu, Jannik Vestergaard and Danny Ings and others all missing games as a result. Consistency will be key in keeping up the current form, however with a tight fixture schedule; it’ll be difficult for Saints to keep turning out high-level performances if the starting line-up is rotated heavily as a result of lack-of-depth.rnrn[nextslide teaser="Q2%3A%20In%20your%20opinion%2C%20which%20area%2Fs%20of%20the%20team%20do%20Saints%20need%20to%20add%20players%3F%20And%20which%20specific%20player%2Fs%20would%20you%20like%20to%20see%20come%20in%3F" /]rnrn rnrn[caption id="attachment_17901" align="aligncenter" width="850"] Brandon Williams of Manchester United (Photo by Charlotte Tattersall/Getty Images)[/caption]rn Q2: In your opinion, which area/s of the team do Saints need to add players? And which specific player/s would you like to see come in? rnA: Priority has to be that of a full-back, so Brandon Williams on a loan-deal represents a low-risk investment in a market that demands bigger fees in January. Mentioned before Yan Valery seems to be considered a defensive liability by Hasenhuttl, whilst youth graduates Kanye Ramsay and Jake Vokins are still very inexperienced.rnrnDemarai Gray would be an excellent acquisition given the fact the Leicester City-player is in the last six months of his contact; and thus Southampton could get the player for a snip of his value this January or even for free in the summer, which would be shrewd business. However the Saints have good depth in the left-winger positions in Moussa Djenepo, Nathan Redmond and Nathan Tella; however the form of the two former have been questionable over the past calendar year.rnrnBrazilian midfielder Wellington has been rumoured to be on Southampton’s radar, currently being a free-agent would again represent shrewd business in a difficult transfer-market. However the former Sao Paulo player has only ever played in his native country, and is at the age of 29; experienced but totally against the Saints’ transfer policy.rnrn[nextslide teaser="Q3%3A%20Which%20player%2Fs%20can%20you%20see%20leaving%20Saints%20this%20month%3F%20(Out%20of%20favour%20or%20needing%20game%20time%20to%20develop)" /]rnrn rnrn[caption id="attachment_17900" align="aligncenter" width="850"] Yan Valery of Southampton (Photo by Robin Jones/Getty Images)[/caption]rn Q3: Which player/s can you see leaving Saints this month? (Out of favour or needing game time to develop) rnA: Michael Obafemi would’ve been my player of choice, that was before his surgery that he had on an unknown muscle-injury. There was talk he could be sold if a good enough fee came in for the Irishman, however a loan-deal would represent a lower-risk for Saints and they get to keep the player contracted to the club whilst allowing him to gain first-team playing experience.rnrnYan Valery is another player that was rumoured to potentially be on the move, again if a good-enough fee came in for the young-Frenchman - however a loan-deal elsewhere would make more sense.rnrn[nextslide teaser="Q4%3A%20If%20you%20were%20to%20choose%20between%20youngsters%20with%20long-term%20potential%20or%20older%20players%20who%20can%20provide%20quality%20now%2C%20which%20way%20would%20you%20go%3F" /]rnrn rnrn[caption id="attachment_17899" align="aligncenter" width="850"] Southampton's English midfielder Theo Walcott (L) and Malian midfielder Moussa Djenepo (R) (Photo by PETER CZIBORRA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)[/caption]rn Q4: If you were to choose between youngsters with long-term potential or older players who can provide quality now, which way would you go? rnA: It’s good to have a mix of youth and experience in squads, and Southampton’s best squads of recent history have always had a good blend of this. That said, right now I would rather have players that can hit the ground running given Southampton’s form, with experienced players being able to provide this more often than not.rnrnMentioned before, despite his lack of experience outside of Brazil, I think Wellington being an experienced player in a position that Southampton lack some depth in could be a good-safe acquisition give that he is a free-agent currently.rnrn[nextslide teaser="Q5%3A%20If%20you%20had%20an%20unlimited%20budget%20and%20unlimited%20time%20travel%2C%20which%20former%20Saints%20player%20would%20you%20bring%20back%20to%20add%20to%20our%20current%20squad%3F" /]rnrn rnrn[caption id="attachment_11612" align="aligncenter" width="850"] Sadio Mane of Southampton (Photo by Christopher Lee/Getty Images)[/caption]rn Q5: If you had an unlimited budget and unlimited time travel, which former Saints player would you bring back to add to our current squad? rnA: It’s a toss-up between the there players in the front-line during the 2015-2016 Premier League season in Graziano Pelle, Dusan Tadic and Sadio Mane.rnrnThe latter fits best into Hasenhuttl’s tactics with his pace and operating off the left could provide creativity for strikers Danny Ings and Che Adams. Mane might’ve not quite hit his peak whilst at Southampton, but is now considered one of the best, if not best winger in world football now.rnrn[story_link_next description="All%20the%20early%20January%20transfer%20links%20involving%20Saints" url="https://saintsmarching.com/2021/01/10/southampton-early-january-transfer-links-featuring-saints/" /]

Saints Marching

Southampton’s ideal January transfer window roundtable – by Ed Waugh

Southampton will be searching for transfer targets in this January window to enable them to keep performing well during the remainder of the season.

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