Southampton outcast Sofiane Boufal will most likely be on his way out of the club this summer. He is being linked with a move to Ligue 1 outfit Nice. Boufal has not been involved in the Saints set up after a bust-up with the current manager Mark Hughes.
The Saints are currently in dire straits as they are in the relegation zone. However, they will have a great opportunity to secure their stay in the Premier League as they will be taking on the relegation-threatened side Swansea City who are just behind them on goal difference. This has been a season to forget for the Saints as they were expected to be somewhere near the top half of the table.
However, things have improved as they have shown signs of a fightback in their last few games and after a crucial win against their derby rivals last weekend, the momentum is with them at the moment.
Boufal has made 30 appearances this term but hasn’t been that influential as he has managed just 2 goals and 2 assists which is a sorry reading for an attacking midfielder. Currently, the Moroccan international is training with the u23 side after he refused to warm up to come on as a substitute against Chelsea. The midfielder is currently one of the highest earners at the club as he draws a neat salary of£60,000-a-week and after the recent happening, Saints will be looking to offload him.
The midfielder was brought in with a lot of expectation at the St. Mary’s as he signed on a then club record fee of £16m. He is adept at playing on the left as well as on the right wing. But his preferred role is that of a No. 10. Boufal likes to take on defenders and has the ability to go past them but sometimes he loses the ball quite often because of his style of play.
If Southampton manages to survive somehow they will be looking to bring more attacking talent as they have largely suffered because of no attacking output up front. The likes of Shane Long and Manola Gabbiaddini are having a poor season and the only impetus has been on Charlie Austin who was out injured for quite a long time. In a situation like this, the Saints faithful would have hoped for a much better performance from Boufal but he certainly hasn’t delivered.
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Southampton should cut him off at the end of the season and probably look to invest that money somewhere else to bring in reinforcements.
