Will Still's alarming penalty record cries for more centre-back reinforcements at St. Mary's.
Currently, Southampton fans must be thanking their luck that Danny Rohl ignored any returning calls to St. Mary's. Else, who could have imagined that Will Still would enthusiastically support Southampton's project despite having no Premier League action on offer, atleast for the coming season.
Thus, the Saints either appear to have hit the jackpot or might have ignored a transfer catch. Now, the jury will be out for Still's management credentials until his very first game but a major flaw about the Englishman has just come to light.
While breaking down Still's Lens performances, the Daily Echo pointed out: "Not only did they concede a mammoth nine penalties out of 43 total goals we watched, the general level of defending the box was appalling."
Well, if not for those nine penalties, Lens might have jumped the Ligue 1 ladder more last season. Anyways, what must be Southampton's objective is to reduce those margin of errors so as not to giveaway easy goals in the first place.
Ronnie Edwards and Nathan Wood can impress Still
But the Saints themselves have conceded 86 times only in league matches, thus, their present defence isn't the answer to dodge away giving penalties.
That being said, it's time Southampton decided to strengthen their defensive ranks, especially centre-backs. One after the other, the entire defence is succumbing to injuries and with a bunch of uncertain contract situations, some quality upgrade is needed either way.
Ronnie Edwards is a decent candidate here, and will most likely earn Still's trust. But even then, an extra defender will be needed for rotation purposes.
Nathan Wood is another younger option as Edwards but hasn't had a good debut season at St. Mary's. A lower level like the Championship might suit him, and if he shows a good consistency, Still may have his trusted backline available at Southampton itself.
Apart from that, let's see if Southampton shortlist any defence oriented players to add more depth to their roster.