As
the transfer window swings shut, it is natural for pundits and fans alike to
analyse clubs’ performance in the market. Once again, Southampton’s activity
was under scrutiny as some predicted another summer of turbulence after the
initial departures of Morgan Schneiderlin and Nathaniel Clyne, yet the club
have added strength in depth while spending the lowest net amount in the
Premier League. However, this lingering question remains: will Ronald Koeman be
able to mould these signings into a bright, cohesive unit for a second
consecutive season?
INS:
Virgil
van Dijk (Celtic, £11.5m); Jordy Clasie (Feyenoord, £8m); Juanmi (Málaga, £5m);
Oriol Romeu (Chelsea, £5m); Cédric Soares (Sporting Lisbon, £4.7m); Cuco
Martina (FC Twente, £1m); Maarten Stekelenburg (Fulham, Loan*); Steven Caulker
(QPR, Loan*)
*Loan fees undisclosed
OUTS:
Morgan
Schneiderlin (Manchester United, £25m); Nathaniel Clyne (Liverpool, £12.5m);
Emmanuel Mayuka (Metz, undisc.); Jos Hooiveld (AIK, Free); Artur Boruc
(Bournemouth, Free); Cody Cropper (MK Dons, Free); Omar Rowe (Tower Hamlets,
Free); Jake Sinclair (Hibernian, Free); Dani Osvaldo (Porto, Free); Jack
Stephens (Middlesbrough, Loan); Sam Gallagher (MK Dons, Loan); Jordan Turnbull
(Swindon Town, Loan)
As predictable as it was when Morgan
Schneiderlin and Nathaniel Clyne exited St Mary’s, it signalled another summer
when the planning of Southampton’s recruitment team and their prophetic black
box would be tested. Throw in the somewhat unanticipated decision of Toby
Alderweireld to join Tottenham and it became even more challenging. The permanent
addition of the Belgian international would have laid a clear marker down that
Saints would not be bullied by the so called “big boys” but the club had been
gazumped at the final hurdle according to Les Reed. It was necessary that Southampton
were quick and efficient in bringing new players to St Mary’s – but not necessarily
identical replacements. Southampton are more concerned with finding a player
who shares the club’s philosophy and shows undeniable potential. Furthermore,
an identical replacement for a fully-fledged international commands a certain
fee. For example, obviously with the departure of Clyne, Saints had need of a
first choice right back but this did not signify that the club would purchase a
carbon copy of the player at the exact same point in their development. In
fact, Clyne’s purchase from Crystal Palace was a particularly pertinent precedent
for this strategy. In Southampton’s solitary season in the Championship, Nigel
Adkins pinpointed Clyne’s lack of heading ability as a weakness in Palace’s
backline and Rickie Lambert was instructed to lurk on the full back’s shoulder.
Lambert scored while Saints employed this tactic but the club recognised Clyne’s
obvious attacking flair. His positioning improved vastly meaning that his
aerial inability was rarely exploited during his time at St Mary’s. The club
landed Cédric Soares at a fraction of the fee they received for Clyne and while
his slight figure has been commented on by fans, he displayed his offensive abilities
during Sunday’s game against Norwich. He may be exposed while sprinting forward
during the early parts of his Saints career as he adjusts to the defensive
requirements of the Premier League, but with time he will come to grips with
the pace of England’s top tier. Moreover, the signing of Curaçao international
Cuco Martina provides genuine competition for the Portuguese. Erwin Koeman
knows the right back from their time together at RKC Waalwijk and he allows
Saints a luxury they did not have last season – a deputy orthodox right back, while
his versatility is a real bonus for the squad. His crossing ability has been
questioned in some corners though.
Furthermore, Southampton have obtained the
services of two centre backs – Steven Caulker on loan from QPR and Virgil van
Dijk from Celtic. Van Dijk’s arrival has been long awaited. The deadline day signing is the
archetypal ball playing centre back. The Scottish media heaped praise on him as
he offered another dimension to Celtic’s play bringing the ball out of defence
while forming a strong partnership with Manchester City loanee Jason Denayer. However,
he has been criticised after the Glasgow club’s acrimonious departures from
the Champions League as he left gaps which were capitalised on by higher opposition.
Moreover, it is not sure that he will form a coherent double act with José
Fonte, who also ventures into the opposition half occasionally, but Van Dijk is
a left sided centre back and an understanding should flourish with time. Caulker
will be keen to challenge for that left sided position as well though as the
England international will feel he has something to prove after consecutive
relegations. He showed extraordinary promise during a loan spell with Swansea a
few years ago with towering performances which demonstrated great maturity but
his career has since been unsettled as his two previous clubs have suffered
demotions. His early form for Southampton has shown a lack of confidence giving
Maya Yoshida a run in the team but he will have further opportunities to
exhibit his talents. Behind the centre backs, Saints have recruited Maarten
Stekelenburg on loan from Fulham. The Dutch ‘keeper who turned out for Holland
in their World Cup Final defeat in 2010 also has something to prove after a few
challenging years including relegation with the West London club and an
unproductive loan spell at Monaco. The early signs have been promising though
and his distribution has been a particular highlight. While Fraser Forster
remains a long-term absentee, it was an astute move from Saints to bring
Stekelenburg in.
Furthermore, Southampton signed another
Dutchman from Feyenoord – Jordy Clasie. Unfortunately, the midfield maestro has
been injured since the home game against Vitesse however he will be available
shortly and Ronald Koeman will be glad of this. Clasie’s passing ability will
create many an opening for Saints’ attacking players to launch onto and fans
will be hopeful that Clasie will be able to make the jump up from the
Eredivisie after Graziano Pellè and Dušan Tadić successfully made the
transition last season. He has already gained international recognition and
while not a prolific goalscorer, he will compliment Victor Wanyama or Oriol
Romeu well. In fact, the former Chelsea man is currently looking to oust
Wanyama from his starting position. After the Kenyan requested a transfer away
from St Mary’s and watched the Norwich game from the stands, Romeu was hugely
impressive. His tough tackling and simple passing game calmed Saints and
allowed the full backs to race down the wings safe in the knowledge that the
Spaniard would be able to cover them. His fellow countryman Juanmi has not had
a great chance to parade his talent yet however during the Vitesse contest, he
showed wonderful composure to tee up Shane Long, and briefly took advantage of
the tiring Andre Wisdom on Sunday. Moreover, his goalscoring record at Málaga was
more than adequate for a man of his age and his pace and trickery could provide
an interesting foil for Pellè. In terms of departures, Sam Gallagher's temporary move away from the club is disappointing as he would have offered another alternative to Pell
In summary, it is clear that the club
have enjoyed another successful window under difficult circumstances. While
remaining firm and refusing the sale of Wanyama or Sadio Mané, they have shown
once again that they will only sell at the right price and the right time. Furthermore,
they have kept to their mantra of buying players who they are already aware
will be in keeping with the club’s philosophy – The Southampton Way. In this
manner, when a player leaves, the club is prepared, and goes on. It is a matter
of evolution at St Mary’s – not revolution.
No comments:
Post a Comment