Who Should Saints Bring In ! In Central Defence ! Friday, 28th Jul 2017 14:52 Forget Virgil Van Dijk for a minute, Saints still need to replace Jose Fonte first, so who could Les Reed be looking at through his little black box. The problem is for Saints at the moment is that every time they are linked with buying a central defender in the media, some Liverpool fan in Scandinavia or Asia starts salivating over the fact that Virgil Van Dijk is another step closer to his dream move to Anfield. What they should remember is that before or if we sell Van Dijk then firstly we need to replace his former central defensive partner Jose Fonte who departed in January. This is a matter of urgency given that the Premier League season is now only a fortnight away and if Van Dijk is a Saints player he will be severely lacking match practice and if he is not ready then we will be back to the second half of last season when our central defensive pairing was not up to the standard required for a tem wanting to finish in and around the top 7 and win a cup. So who should Saints be considering signing. Kevin Wimmer The Spurs central defender is being linked again this week and was earlier in the summer, Saints appear keen, but price is an issue, Tottenham want £20 million but realisitcally having rarely played in the first team in his two seasons I would think £12 million tops, £15 million with the extra being paid currently. Mamadou Sakho He was on Saints radar back in January and Liverpool will be keen to use him as leaverage in a deal for Van Dijk, they value him at £30 million when in truth like Wimmer he is at best worth £15 million. Liverpool won't be keen to sell him to us independently therefore as a replacement for Fonte he is not the man, if Van Dijk does go then he could form part of the transfer Dejan Lovren Don't laugh but Lovren could be a good buy, again like Sakho would probably not be available at the moment to us, but could form part of any transfer of Van Dijk to Anfield. The big issue is his popularity amongst Saints fans, although to be fair he is probably better liked than Van Dijk at present. Probably valued at £20 million again no worth £15 million after his 3 years at Anfield. Ben Gibson. This is a Southampton style signing and my friends in Middlesbrough tell me he is the real deal, I would rather pay the £25 million that is being asked for Gibson than £15 million each for Sakho or Lovren. Gibson, with his 84% passing accuracy can play the ball, but is also a no-nonsense centre-back who isn’t afraid to simply clear his lines. The Englishman made a massive 225 clearances last season, as well as 57 interceptions and 33 blocks. He also won 60 headed duels and 23 tackles. indeed a pairing or Wimmer and Gibson would excite me and if they could be bought for £40 million as a pair and we sold Van Dijk for £70 million then that would be good business and still leave change for a striker. Calum Chambers Another prodigal son being linked with a return to St Mary's and again I would like to see this, with Arsenal looking to sell and accept £16 million I would drive Les Reed up to North London myself to get this deal done. He formed a solid partnership with Gibson up at Boro last season and made 11 defensive actions per game, the most of any Boro player, including 180 clearances, 49 blocks and 37 tackles. Boro were relegated due to a lack of goals rather than conceding them. Jannik Vestergaard This is another Saints type signing, currently playing for Borrusia Monchengladbach at 24 and £15 million he would be a great bit of business and being Danish perhaps Pierre Emile Hojberg could persuade him to come. Vestergaard made seven defensive actions per game in the Bundesliga, including 172 clearances and 52 interceptions, demonstrating his ability to read the game. He is a monster in the air, moreover, and won a massive 120 headed duels, a 66% success rate. He’s also calm and composed on the ball, with an 85% passing accuracy, and had the ability to complete nine of his ten attempted take-ons. Vestergaard is able to pass and play his way out of trouble, perhaps the most comparable to Jose Fonte or for that matter Virgil Van Dijk on my list. Personally I would like to see any two out of Gibson, Chambers Wimmer and Vestergaard coming to St Mary's. The issues will be we can attract one easily enough, but can we attract two if Van Dijk were to go and I fear that if the Dutchman does fly then we will end up with one of the above four and Sakho. Photo: Action Images Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.
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