Southampton had a quite decent start to life under their new boss Claude Puel but things could have been much better. The Saints held high-flying Liverpool to a 0-0 draw on Saturday this past weekend. It’s still early days of Puel at the St. Mary’s Stadium and the Saints are slowly but surely starting to adapt to life under the Frenchman. We can expect the Saints to be quite active in the upcoming transfer windows as Puel looks to build his own empire on the South Coast.
According to The Mirror, Southampton are lining up a move for Swansea City winger Modou Barrow but are poised to face competition from Premier League rivals Leicester City. The 24-year-old joined Swansea from Swedish side Ostersunds in the summer of 2014, and after loan spells with Nottingham Forest and Blackburn Rovers, the winger has started to impress in the Premier League this season.
The Gambian international has notched up two assists this season and has shown real ability this term in what is otherwise a struggling team devoid of too much quality. He is strong and quick and is a pretty intelligent footballer as well. Slowly but surely, he is growing into English football. Still only 24, the best days are well ahead of the Swansea City speedster.
Puel started at Southampton in a 4-4-2 diamond formation for which he did not need quality wide players. Nathan Redmond and Dusan Tadic- the two available wide players were deployed in other roles. Redmond was playing as a shadow striker while Tadic was playing at the tip of the midfield diamond. Now that the Saints have switched to a 4-3-3 formation, which means Puel needs more options on the flanks, especially with Europa League commitments.
With Sofiane Boufal back from injury, Southampton have good competition for a place on the left flank with the Moroccan and Tadic but the Saints do not have a cover for Redmond on the right. For a team who are competing in Europe, just one good player is nowhere near enough.
Barrow is an out and out right winger but is a left footer. Therefore, his whole game is about cutting inside from the right-hand side and create opportunities. The 24-year-old has 1.5 key passes per game which is impressive. The Gambian needs to work on his passing, though. Only 75.2% passing accuracy is far from good enough for a side like Southampton whose game is based on passing.
The way Swansea City are playing this season, there is a big chance that they won’t be there in the Premier League next season. If Southampton can lure the Gambian away for a decent price, it will be a good deal for the Saints.
