Why Jason Denayer would be a good fit at Southampton
Back in December 2016, Belgian defender Jason Denayer was heavily linked with a move to Southampton. But the 24-year-old, who was then on the books of Manchester City, instead had decided to join Sunderland on loan.
After successful loan spells at Celtic and Galatasaray, Jason Denayer has achieved some sort of stability in his career since joining Lyon in the summer of 2018. He had a solid debut campaign with Lyon that saw him make 31 league appearances, scoring two goals.
The Belgium international has performed decently in the new campaign so far, although Lyon have lost thrice in the last five games and are 14th in the table. With Lyon underperforming, Southampton could use that opportunity to lure Denayer away to the Premier League in January.
Southampton are royally struggling at the moment, having picked up just seven points from eight games and lie 17th on the table. They entered the international break on the back of a chastening 4-1 defeat to Chelsea at St. Mary’s stadium that left them with just one win in the last five league games.
The Saints desperately need defensive reinforcements if they are to avoid relegation this season. The recent defeats have highlighted a lack of leadership at the back, with neither Jannik Vestergaard nor Jan Bednarek performing consistently enough since the start of the 2019/20 campaign.
The defence is Southampton’s well-publicised Achilles heel and manager Ralph Hasenhuttl should try solving the problem by bringing in Jason Denayer.
Denayer isn’t strange to English football having spent time with Manchester City and Sunderland, although he didn’t make a single competitive appearance for the former. He has been on a series of loan spells, and always impressed but finally found a permanent home at Lyon last summer.
The 24-year-old is a natural leader in the back four and currently leads Lyon. Standing just a shade below 6ft 2in, he is strong in the air and possesses good strength which helps him to overcome experienced opposition attackers in defensive duels.
Denayer is extremely comfortable in bringing the ball out from the back and launching attacks for his team.
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The ex-Celtic man’s leadership qualities would add some much-needed stability into the Southampton backline.
The 24-year-old’s previous experience in English football should have him no problem adjusting to the demands of the Premier League. Given his obvious talent and massive potential, he will only get better with time.
Verdict
Hence, Ralph Hasenhuttl and Southampton should rekindle their interest and go all out for Denayer in January. The Belgian international could make a massive difference by solving the club’s defensive problems.