Will Still's initial Joshua Quarshie analysis hints at him emerging as Southampton's response to the failed Juma Bah transfer.
Remember, when some time back, boss Still was tipped for a dilemmatic choice between Juma Bah and Harwood-Bellis? But fast forward to now, the reality has seen Still having to not choose at all.
With Harwood-Bellis choosing to stay, and Southampton losing on Bah's transfer, the situation resolved itself. Now, Still's job got easy but actually, it's been so only on the surface.
That's because Bah's move would have allowed tactical comfort to his ex-boss Still, to continue with his Lens-like plans at St. Mary's. Well, that's also why despite Harwood-Bellis' stay, the Saints still need a Juma Bah alternative.
Now, by intuition, Armel Bella-Kotchap could have been a readymade solution to counter Bah's failed move. But with him likely to receive a Hamburg escape route, the centre-back slots have been a mystery to the St. Mary's faithful.
Will Still backs new signing Joshua Quarshie to be Bah's alternative
Thankfully, it could be a problem no more. And all thanks to Will Still's initial Joshua Quarshie assessment, as per whom, Southampton had pre-resolved all defensive issues with their first summer signing itself.
Recently, as quoted by the Daily Echo, Will Still deep dived into the highly distinct athletic abilities of Quarshie, saying: "I think that's the key thing. You obviously want your defenders to be half decent on the ball, but they also have to defend and do that properly."
Honestly, Quarshie stepping into Bah's role shouldn't come as a surprise to Saints fans, and looking at their profiles, this possibility looks to be settling in.
It's so because while Quarshie lacks a modest first-team experience like Bah, the difference between them isn't far-fetched. In fact, already having similar physical attributes, height, speed and athleticity, Quarshie can catch up with Bah if Still backs him throughout the season.
What's further interesting? If Bah arrived at Southampton, the Saints would have needed to sign him with a hefty permanent buy clause on the back of a potential Championship promotion. But, with Quarshie's 100% rights, the club has an opportunity to develop him into a superstar and earn massive profits in club icon Virgil van Dijk's-like transfer.
That being said, it's over a month till Southampton kicks off the new season. Hopefully, such Will Still backing Quarshie updates will grow even more until then.