Southampton Opinion: Saints should sign Francis Amuzu as one for the future
According to claims from Belgian news outlet Het Laaste Nieuws, as cited by GhanaSoccerNet, Southampton have been credited with an interest in 19-year-old Anderlecht prodigy Francis Amuzu.
Southampton are not the only club to have expressed an interest the burgeoning Belgian talent, though, with the same report claiming that south coast rivals Brighton and Hove Albion are also weighing up a bid for the emerging star.
However, GhanaSoccerNet understands that new Anderlecht player-manager Vincent Kompany is keen to keep hold of Francis Amuzu, who enjoyed plenty of first-team involvement in the previous campaign.
The move, if it materializes, would represent the Saints’ second consecutive raid on the Belgian market this summer, having already brought in 20-year-old Malian winger Moussa Djenepo from Standard Liege for £15million.
And a deal for Amuzu certainly doesn’t look beyond the realms of possibility, given that the 19-year-old is currently in the final year of his contract at Anderlecht. The Belgian heavyweights have so far been unsuccessful in their efforts to convince their highly-rated academy star to pen a new deal.
Born in Accra, Ghana, Amuzu migrated to Belgium at a young age and joined Anderlecht at the youth level.
The talented winger made rapid progress through the club’s youth setup and featured prominently for the reserves before eventually earning his senior professional debut in a 1-0 victory over K.A.S Eupen on 22nd December 2017, where he came off the bench to score the winner for his boyhood club.
Amuzu made 7 league appearances for Anderlecht in the 2017-18 season but the versatile wide player really came of age and produced some consistently impressive displays in the previous campaign, accumulating 35 appearances in all competitions, including 4 in the Europa League.
His returns of 1 goal and 3 assists do not flatter much but the youngster caught the eye with his dazzling and energetic performances, nevertheless.
Standing at 5ft.7 inches, Amuzu is not particularly strong but he makes up for it with his lightning pace, a quick burst of acceleration, flair and trickery on the ball.
An ambidextrous wide player who primarily operates down the left-hand side of the pitch, the 19-year-old is more than capable of playing out wide on the right and through the centre as an attacking midfielder.
Amuzu recently represented Belgium at the UEFA U21 European Championship in San Marino and Italy and earned plaudits for his youthful exuberance, although he still remains eligible to represent Ghana at the senior international level.
To put things into perspective, Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has made his intentions very clear with deals for Che Adams and Moussa Djenepo that he is looking for a youthful overhaul of his squad.
Also, as evident from his approach in the second half of the previous campaign, the Austrian favours the presence of pacey and mobile attackers in his squad, meaning that 19-year-old Francis Amuzu certainly fits the bill at St.Mary’s.
Amuzu is still very much in his formative years as a footballer and he would need to work a lot on improving his end product if he is to make a big impact in the Premier League.
It is still unclear as to what kind of role Hasenhuttl has in mind for him next season, although there is a high probability that he would initially link up with the elite developmental squad.
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All in all, Amuzu looks like a real talent at this stage of his career and Southampton might have a gem on their hands if he goes on to fulfil his potential in the years to come.
That said, the Saints should consider a cut-price deal for the Belgian youth international this summer in a bid to add more competition to their ranks.