Two players Southampton should offload in January
After narrowly escaping relegation last season, Southampton have once again made a poor start. The Saints have picked up just 5 points from their opening 8 games of the season. They are on the back of 3 consecutive losses and things are not looking good for Mark Hughes’ men so far.
The Saints did bring in a couple of additions over the summer but were unable to spend in excess, given their finish last season. Over the years, Southampton have seamlessly replaced their departed stars but it seems to have taken a toll on them in recent times.
Hughes should definitely offload a couple of players who have failed to make an impact this term and gather the funds to reinvest in other areas. Here, we take a look at two players Southampton should offload in January.
Nathan Redmond
Redmond arrived from Norwich City two years ago but is yet to fulfil his potential. The wide forward has only been able to manage 8 goals in 72 appearances for the Saints. The 24-year-old scored merely 1 goal and provided 3 assists last season. (Stats courtesy – Premier League)
He is also yet to register a single goal or assist in 8 league appearances this season. Redmond just doesn’t seem to show enough urgency and threat in the final third. He is often easily marshalled off the ball and has been largely inconsistent in his performances.
Hughes should definitely cash in on the former Norwich City winger and replace him with someone who will provide a better cutting edge in the final third.
Manolo Gabbiadini
The Italian, who joined the Saints for £14m, made a splendid start to life at the South Coast after scoring back-to-back braces in his first two league games. Since then, however, Gabbiadini has been a shadow of himself and has barely threatened in the final third.
He scored just 5 goals in 28 league appearances last season and was mostly resorted to making substitute appearances. Hughes brought in Danny Ings on loan in the summer, meaning the former Napoli forward has fallen further down the pecking order. (Stats courtesy – Premier League)
Read more: Who is this £5m Ghanaian on Southampton’s radar? The man to solve their goalscoring woes?
Gabbiadini could attract interest from a number of teams if placed on the market and that’s exactly what Mark Hughes should do. Offloading him could also fetch a decent amount of money, which should be enough for the manager to bring in an able replacement.