Southampton could stumble upon their next Victor Wanyama with this signing

Southampton has been home to a lot of impressive holding midfielders over the years.

He just left the building after a forgettable second stint at the club, but Oriel Romeu in his Saints prime during his first spell at the club was a classy individual from the centre of park, notching up 263 St. Mary's appearances subsequently.

Alongside the Spaniard, there is Morgan Schneiderlin, who would go on to feature for Manchester United after his own standout time at Southampton, and there is now Shea Charles, who looks set to join the Red Devils' arch rivals in Leeds United, after catching the eye in the Championship.

Victor Wanyama is another much-loved midfield face from Southampton's yesteryear in the Premier League, with the Kenyan machine sticking out as a key figure under the successful managerial reigns of both Mauricio Pochettino and Ronald Koeman.

Wanyama's excellent performances at Southampton

Both Pochettino and Koeman might now be in the international management game with the United States and the Netherlands at the ongoing World Cup, but between 2013 and 2016, the pair guided the Saints to regular top-half finishes in the Premier League.

Wanyama would regularly start under both the Argentine and the Dutchman, with all 97 of his appearances for the club falling when an 8th place, 7th place, and 6th place finish were on the menu.

Collecting four goals and two assists across that stretch of games, the Nairobi-born battler was more well known for his combative performances on the South Coast, than his attacking play, with James Ward-Prowse singling out the now retired ace as being "aggressive" throughout his Saints career.

Staggeringly, seven duels were won on average per league contest during his swansong campaign at St. Mary's, with his final month in the Premier League for the Saints seeing him win a monstrous 27 duels across just three outings.

Wanyama would go on to further his top-flight career in England with Tottenham Hotspur, when leaving Southampton in 2016, but his humble beginnings, which won him a move to Southampton in the first place, stretch out to Scotland, at Celtic more specifically.

13 goals and nine assists would fall into his back pocket at the Bhoys from 91 games before the Saints would take a gamble.

Splashing out £12.5m on his services was the correct move in the end, and so Southampton could strike gold on another midfielder from the Scottish market this summer, as they search for a Charles replacement.

Eckert could sign Southampton's new Wanyama

Finding a midfielder that can throw himself into a tackle and tussle like Waynama in his prime is going to be a tall order.

But, in Josh Mulligan, they could win themselves another attritional presence who hails from the Scottish Premiership, with reports suggesting that the South Coast club is keen on landing the 23-year-old, alongside further interest from the likes of West Ham United.

From 24 SPL appearances last campaign, the Hibs number 20 would average a tireless 4.7 duels won per league affair, while also helping himself to three goals and five assists from 33 outings in all competitions.

These standout numbers would lead to Mulligan collecting the Young Player of the Season accolade at Easter Road, and he will now be craving a move to a competitive division like the Championship to try and become a staple at the Saints or the Hammers, like Wanyama managed when exiting Celtic in 2013.

Noted as a young talent who is "eager to progress and develop" by his Hibs boss David Gray, his breakout moment in the English game could soon arrive.

Ideally, he would make the loss of Charles a lot easier to stomach, as Eckert also wins his very own modern iteration of the assertive Kenyan.

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