Belgian winbacks haven't had much share of Premier League success, but still, Southampton are weighing up a swoop.
A balanced game with more than five goals on offer, yeah, that's how the Premier League begins without Southampton. Replace the Saints with regional counterparts Bournemouth and Liverpool will have subbed in academy players at half-time.
Humour aside, it's the first English top-flight season without Kevin De Bruyne and obviously, an unenthusiastic one for all fans who were marvelled by Premier League's Belgian superstars. Southampton also had one, Toby Alderweireld, whose relentless defending St. Mary's could only cherish for one season.
Identically as Kevin Danso, Tottenham Hotspurs saw Toby's strengths at length and fair points to you if you knew that. Even then, English football fans are yet to applaud any consistent Belgian fullback but Southampton are planning to challenge this norm.
Saints trust Louis Patris to be their new Belgian star and Premier League's too
In his own words, Sacha Tavolieri has uncovered Saints new transfer focus, saying: "As of now, Sassuolo Calcio & Southampton FC are the most concrete option for Louis Patris, but the price demanded by Sint-Truiden (~€3.5M) complicates negotiations."
Patris being a usual presence in Belgium's first division should be sufficient to see out the Championship learning curve. In the Premier League, it's more about guiding yourself into matchday squads rather than bursting forward with long-yard passes and Patris' formative years do instil promise.
He has emerged from two of his homeland's topmost giants, Standard Leige and Anderlecht and Southampton star Taylor Harwood-Bellis could have met with him at the latter.
The 23-year-old Saint honed his first-team adaptability at Anderlecht and learned multiple takeaways that helped him gain more prominence back in the Premier League. Southampton are adamant Patris can also do what Harwood-Bellis did, so, let's be seated for this prospective transfer.