Why Mohamed Simakan could be one for the future for Southampton
According to The Guardian’s Ed Aarons, Southampton are one of the clubs interested in signing Mohamed Simakan from Strasbourg.
Simakan, 19, has featured regularly for Strasbourg in the French first tier this season, making 14 league appearances so far. His excellent performances have not gone unnoticed, with Premier League teams Watford and Crystal Palace also making their interest known on him, according to Ed Aarons.
Meanwhile, Southampton are unlikely to spend big in the transfer window, according to The Guardian, as they are financially crippled form the previous business but Ralph Hasenhuttl is keen to strengthen the full-back position to ease the pressure off Cedric Soares and Ryan Bertrand.
Portuguese Soares’ contract with the club expires at the end of the season and is set to move away from St. Mary’s Stadium in the summer and Bertrand could also leave at the same time.
With two established campaigners entering into their last few months with the club, it would be necessary for the manager to fill in the void at the earliest.
Clearly someone with an eye on the future, Southampton must look to win the race for the French teenager’s signature before the end of this month.
The Saints have managed to climb up the ladder after a poor start to the season which saw them languishing in the relegation zone for a long time. They haven’t lost a single game since their game against Aston Villa in mid-December and currently find themselves 12th in the league standings.
Hasenhuttl has managed to bring the best out of his forwards with Danny Ings leading them brilliantly alongside the other attackers. But their defensive weakness has been clearly exposed as they have conceded 38 goals so far, second-worst in the league.
In that case, Simakan exactly fits the bill and that he is young with fresh legs must help the Saints in making a move for the youngster.
The Marseille-born talent is equally capable in the heart of the defence and also at the right-back. Hasenhuttl has given few of the youngsters like Michael Obafemi, Moussa Djenepo and Kevin Danso a chance to prove their worth and they have done better so far.
He has nurtured them in the right way and under his tutelage, other players in the squad have risen well to the occasion.
In the same way, the Austrian could help Simakan in his development and the fact that he is 19 would allow him to start his progress with the club’s reserve teams before making himself accustomed to the Premier League conditions.
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Verdict
Interests from various other teams speak much about Simakan’s talents and ability, who is valued at €25m. And that is why Southampton must quickly acquire his services. While doing so, they also need to sign an experienced campaigner to sort the issues instantly.