Southampton opinion: Hasenhuttl wants Kik Pierie – a good choice?

According to a report from Italian publication Calciomercato, Southampton are targeting Heerenveen’s teenage defender Kik Pierie. The Boston-born Dutch youngster has also attracted interest from Eredivisie giants Ajax, thanks to his brilliant performances so far this season.

The Saints are doing well under new boss Ralph Hasenhuttl and if all goes well, they will survive in the Premier League this season. Southampton’s defence has been quite leaky and have conceded a shocking 50 goals so far this season.

Hasenhuttl will have to address his defence in his first summer window with the club, especially with Maya Yoshida turning 31 this summer. Saints should make a move for young Kik Pierie in the summer and his addition would potentially solve their defensive woes for the next decade.

Pierie is one of the biggest defensive prospects in world football and his performances have caught the eyes of the footballing world.

Despite being raised in Holland, Pierie’s performances have attracted the United States of America, the country where he was born.

Pierie, despite being only 18 years old, is Heerenveen’s undisputed first choice. The youngster has missed just two games all season and has been hugely impressive. The Dutchman started off the campaign as a left-back but he has been moved more centrally since the turn of the year.

Pierie’s sense of awareness of danger at such a young age is incredible and he combines that with his intelligent positioning to find himself in place to prevent the danger. The youngster is quite quick too and is in some ways similar to fellow Dutchman Nathan Ake.

Like Ake, Pierie is capable of playing both centrally and as a left-back with considerable ease. The 18-year-old possesses a fantastic left foot and has the ability to release brilliantly accurate long balls to find his teammates at the other end of the field.

In his 24 starts for the Dutch outfit this season, Pierie averages 2 tackles, 2.1 interceptions, 1.6 successful aerial duels and a staggering 5.2 clearances per game. The Dutchman also averages close to 50 passes a game, of which 3.8 are long balls with over 80% accuracy. (WhoScored)

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Conclusion

Hasenhuttl’s eye for tremendous young talent has been evident over the years, with the signings of Kevin Kampl, Kyriakos Papadopoulos and current Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita. Piere could be the next prodigy to develop under the Austrian manager and he can take his game to the next level if a move materialises.