Losing out on their highly appreciable assets after the end of every season has become a part and parcel of Premier League outfit, Southampton. They do not possess the financial firepower nor can they afford the lucrative deals to their players, as a result of which the blossoming prospects have to pursue their career elsewhere in search of fame, name, lucre and growth.
However, despite all the adversaries and animosity, they have been forced to encounter for quite some years now in the Premier League, they haven’t given excuses. They have consistently maintained their status of a top flight side and have intriguingly played good football. Under the tutelage of Claude Puel, they are currently placed in the 13th place in the league with 34 points out of 28 games.
One of their better players this campaign has been their right-back, Cedric Soares, who is putting on stellar performances week in and week out. In 21 top tier games so far, Soares has registered 1 assist so far and defensively speaking, he has made 3.8 tackles, 3 interceptions, 3.3 clearances and 0.5 blocks per game on an average. And Chelsea’s knack to lure the 25-year-old to the Stamford Bridge makes perfect sense.
Antonio Conte wants to add strength on the right-wing-back slot and this is precisely the reason why Soares has been put on the transfer list. He loves to surge forward, stretches opponents’ defence, delivers juicy crosses into the box and shows immense keenness to score goals as well. Conte’s tactical revolution at Chelsea has yielded substantial dividends and no wonder he would like to have a fierce competitor for Victor Moses.
Nonetheless, it would be of paramount importance for Puel to keep hold of the former Sporting CP right-back. Soares has always maintained a perfect balance between his attacking and defensive endeavours, has accumulated experience at the top level, is reliable and consistent and has the technical edge which puts him in the bracket of formidable full-backs. Simply speaking, the Saints just cannot afford to put him out for sale.
The Saints are still very capable of finishing as high as 9th on the league table and thus, the coming seasons should be constructed by them in such a manner that they manage to find a spot in European competitions or at least challenge for the same. Losing out on the Portuguese international shall not only put a dent on their future pursuits but will also leave a massive void to fill, and thus, his sale would only damage their squad’s flair.
Statistics Credits: WhoScored.com
