According to reports, Premier League club Southampton have received a huge transfer boost in their pursuit of Spanish forward Munir El-Haddadi as Serie A giants AS Roma have stepped down from the chase for the Barcelona wonder kid. Following his loan stint away from the Catalans last season at Valencia, the 21-year-old has found it difficult to break into the first team.
The youngster broke into the first team with some dazzling displays back in 2015 and was widely regarded as a promising prospect by many. However, his inconsistency has since seen him plummeting in the pecking order and eventually becoming redundant for Barca.
Southampton, along with league rivals Crystal Palace and West Ham United are all keen on landing him with the player understood to be willing to leave La Liga this summer. His lack of football at the top level has seen his national career take a hit as he has managed only one cap since 2014. And with World Cup approaching next season, the player is desperate to get the lime light.
Southampton managed to end their season in the top half despite some pretty disastrous displays last season. Following the fifth placed finish in 2015 under the management of Dutch gaffer Ronald Koeman, the arrival of Claude Puel helped the Saints very little. Speculations of his odd management tactics and unfriendly relationships with the player affected the squad too.
And the South Coast club could score only a meagre 41 goals in 38 games. Even sides finishing below them like Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, West Ham United, West Bromwich Albion, Leicester City and Swansea City managed to cross that mark. Southampton were definitely fortunate to finish on such a high and new manager Mauricio Pellegrino is unlikely to ride his luck in his first season in England.
Though this underwhelming season didn’t stop Southampton from bringing up some stars last season and attacking forwards like Nathan Redmond, Sofiane Boufal and Dusan Tadic did shine. And Munir’s addition will only upgrade their squad. The biggest threat that the Spaniard brings to the side is versatility.
A right wing by nature, the player can also play on the left wing, in the central midfield, number 10 as well as in the centre forward’s role. And his fantastic technique and composure on the ball make him a dangerous asset to have on one’s side.
However, as has always been the problem with such players in the Premier league, the pace and strength required to cope with its rigours remain a challenging task. And at 175cm, the pace would be Munir’s only strength.
