Why Ollie Watkins of Brentford could be the perfect striker for Southampton
Southampton have had a very treacherous Premier League season so far. Manager Mark Hughes was fired by the club on November 3. Austrian manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has since taken over the top role at St.Mary’s.
They have won three of their last six games, which has helped them come out of the relegation zone. The most recent of those run of results was the impressive 2-1 win against Leicester at the King Power Stadium. Despite a red card to Yan Valery, Hasenhuttl’s men were able to hold out to get what was a massive win.
Considering that they have only won 4 games so far this entire season, 3 wins in 6 games is quite an achievement by the Saints. They are at 16th place simply by the virtue of the number of draws that they have collected over the course of the campaign.
Southampton have scored just 23 goals from 22 games so far and if the Saints are looking at a mid-table finish, there are serious issues that need to be addressed. While some rather alarming concerns do exist, the biggest one must be their complete inability to finish games off.
Even with four out and out strikers in their ranks, they have been unable to come up with the goods on many occasions. Charlie Austin and Shane Long have struggled in front of the goal this season, having notched up just two and one goals respectively.
It will also give the manager some time to identify the newcomer’s strengths to see if there are any other roles that would suit the player well.
According to reports from Sky Sports, Southampton are watching Brentford’s 23-year-old striker Ollie Watkins.
He joined Brentford from Exeter in 2017 and has since been in fine form for the Championship club. He has scored 17 times in 68 league appearances, which is an extremely good tally for a youngster.
While there is no questioning the young man’s quality, the step up to the Premier League often takes some getting used to and that’s a move in January should be made a priority by Hasenhuttl. It would give him the time to ease Watkins into the line-up over the next few months so that he can settle down completely by the start of next season.
Watkins is a young striker who terrifies defenders with his quick movement, agility and the immense change of pace. His finishing is excellent while his contribution to the build-up play can’t be discounted.
Having come through the English youth system, he has been exposed to the English style of play for long enough to fit into this Southampton side which has often depended on young prospects to fulfil their season’s targets.