Southampton opinion: Should the Saints sign David Okereke?
According to a report from Calcio Mercato, Southampton, along with Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt, are interested in signing Spezia’s David Okereke in the summer. The report reveals that both clubs sent scouts to watch the young forward in Spezia’s game against Ascoli, earlier this week.
Southampton have had a terrible season in the Premier League and at one point looked certain to go down. However, the arrival of Ralph Hasenhuttl steadied the Saints’ ship and with 3 wins from their last 5 games, they are 5 points above 18th placed Cardiff, with a game in hand.
Unless a monumental collapse takes place in the last 5 games of the Premier League this season, Southampton should survive and Hasenhuttl should start to think about reinforcements for the summer.
One area which has really let down the south-coast side this season has been their attack. Their strikers have failed to contribute enough goals this campaign, which has forced Nathan Redmond up front.
However, the former Norwich man has also struggled to find the net, despite a few very impressive performances in this role. Southampton will need to invest in a new striker in the summer and David Okereke would be a smart move to solve their woes in front of the net.
Okereke currently plays his football for Serie B side Spezia, who are currently 7th and fighting to play in the Seria A next season. One of the reasons why the Italian outfit are still in the race for promotion is the young Nigerian’s performances.
Okereke has scored 9 goals and has provided 10 assists in 23 starts in the Serie B, so far this season. Despite naturally being a centre-forward, Okereke has been used across the front-three and has excelled without any difficulty.
The 21-year-old checks all the boxes that a manager looks for in an attacker. He possesses electric pace, phenomenal dribbling skills, and incredible strength to hold off his opponents, despite being under 6 feet tall.
Okereke is ambidextrous as well and has the ability to score from distance. The Nigerian is very composed in front of goal. Despite his age, he has shown real maturity with his movements this season.
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Conclusion
The addition of David Okereke will give much-needed firepower to Southampton, which will help them move up the table next season. The 21-year-old’s versatility will give Hasenhuttl a ton of options up front. Under the Austrian boss, Okereke will improve massively in the coming years.