After weeks of speculations, former Southampton skipper Jose Fonte has finally made a move to West Ham United for £8million after an initial bid of £7m was rejected by the Saints. It is not that with Fonte Southampton were unbreakable at the back, but his experience surely was an asset. With him departing, Puel has to look at options to fill the void left by him at the back.
Here are 3 alternatives Puel should consider signing.
Mamadou Sakho- His current situation with Liverpool has encouraged many Premier League sides to target him this winter. The former Paris Saint-Germain player hasn’t featured even once for the Reds this since a rift with the club’s boss.
He has rarely featured in the Under-23s and has been effective there. Despite Liverpool’s huge defensive crisis at the back, Klopp hasn’t considered using the defender, which says a lot about his future at the club. Liverpool bought him for around £25m from the French side and they won’t sell the player for a cut-price fee.
Keeping his match fitness has definitely been a big challenge for Sakho, but his abilities are undoubtedly one of the best in the Premier League. At 187cm, he is quite strong in the air and is known for his perfect passing from the deeper areas.
Phil Jagielka- The Everton defender has spent some glorious years in the Premier League under David Moyes and Roberto Martinez.
The 34-year-old has fallen down the pecking order at Everton lately. With Ramiro Funes Mori now partnering Ashley Williams in the centre-half position, Jagielka seems to have lost the confidence of the boss Ronald Koeman too. And with Mason Holgate used as the possible third option in recent weeks, Jagielka’s playing time at Goodison Park is seemingly up.
Jagielka’s immense experience should definitely help Southampton finishing in the top half of the table. Jagielka has played a whopping 583 matches in English football.
John Terry- He has clearly lost his place under new manager Antonio Conte, seeing minimal action in the first half of the season. And his occasional appearances haven’t been very positive either. While Chelsea were ousted by West Ham in the EFL Cup when Conte handed him a start and the latest one saw him getting red carded.
Terry’s contract is due to expire at the end of the season and Southampton could definitely use his services for the rest of the season. Lack of game time has definitely reduced his sharpness, but his defensive attributes and experience are undoubtedly supreme. Now 36, the England skipper has played a whopping 490 games in the Premier League where he has scored 40 goals and provided 18 assists.
