Southampton could revive interest in Tom Davies transfer this summer

Southampton have been linked with a summer transfer move for Everton midfielder Tom Davies after reported interest before last season.

According to Football Insider, Saints will make a move for the 22-year-old if there are signs that he will be available during the off-season.

Davies was linked with a switch to St Mary’s before when Saints were looking for a midfielder to replace Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, but no move materialised and Davies remained at Goodison Park for the 2020/21 season.

On the surface, there is no outstanding reason why Saints would be targeting Davies. However, the potential for him to be a good midfield option in Ralph Hasenhuttl’s pressing system could be what is putting him on shortlists at the club.

Southampton need another midfield option – but why Davies?

Saints could look to add another central-midfielder to their ranks this summer given that they have a space potentially available alongside James Ward-Prowse, Oriol Romeu and Ibrahima Diallo. More squad depth is required even with Will Smallbone back to provide cover after his knee injury.

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Tom Davies broke into the Everton team back in 2017 and was seen as one of the next big things as England looked towards the future. He has 23 England Under-23s caps but has not made his senior bow yet.

Signings made by Everton as they moved into Carlo Ancelotti’s era have forced him down the pecking order now and he may be looking for a move to secure some regular first-team football once again.

The Toffees may need to sign a replacement to fill the void in their squad if Davies did move on, and he may have to be assured of being first-choice in the team he chooses to move to. This may be one thing that prevents a move to Saints given that others would still be ahead of him.

However, there is still plenty of time for him to adapt his game at 22 and he could become a good all-round midfielder if he develops at a good rate in the coming seasons. Not being stuck on the substitutes bench will be key to him reaching his full potential as a player by his peak years.

Saints could well see him as a key player because of running stats, pressing abilities and midfield control, but they will need to work with him to adjust him to their own unique style if they sign him.