Why Southampton beating Leicester to sign this £22m La Liga sensation could turn out to be a fantastic move

Why Southampton should beat Leicester City to sign Brais Mendez

According to Leicestershire Live, Leicester City are interested in signing Celta Vigo midfielder Brais Mendez in January.

The 21-year-old made his debut for Celta Vigo last season and has shot to fame in the La Liga with his consistent performances in the midfield this term.

Mendez has accumulated 3 goals and 2 assists from 9 appearances in the La Liga and earned his first call-up for Spain in the friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina during the latest international break. He replicated his scintillating form on the international arena as well, coming off the bench and scoring in his first ever outing for Spain.

The Spaniard is contracted to his current club until 2021 and the above report claims that Celta Vigo has pointed to the £22million release clause should the Premier League clubs come circling around like sharks in January.

A quick, agile and technically-gifted creative midfielder, Mendez has been used in a No.10 role by the La Liga outfit this season. However, the youngster has shown that he is equally adept at playing down the right flank.

Operating as a fleet-footed playmaker down the right, Mendez has caught the eyes with his immaculate passing and has looked head and shoulders above his counterparts with his mesmerising dribbling skills.

Blessed with a remarkable vision, the 21-year-old is adept at finding the runs of his teammates with precise long balls, which makes him a valuable asset in the midfield. His agility allows him to create that extra yard of space for himself in the midfield with quick turns and clever changes of direction. Furthermore, the Spaniard has shown maturity that belies his tender years in terms of decision-making in crucial situations.

To go with his sound technique, agility and tactical awareness, Mendez has a deadly eye for goal and does not hesitate to put his foot through the ball. In fact, he averages 2.4 shots and 2.1 key passes per game this term in the La Liga.

Another impressive thing about the Spaniard is his work rate and tenacity, which should interest the Premier League clubs a lot. Averaging 1.9 tackles per game, he has shown the awareness to track back and cut out the attacks from the midfield.

To put things into perspective, Brais Mendez ticks all the boxes to be a perfect fit for Mark Hughes’ Southampton. The Saints are currently placed 17th in the Premier League standings, just above the relegation zone and they have to improve significantly if they are to avoid the drop this season.

Southampton have been hit hard by the goalscoring drought of their strikers. Liverpool loanee Danny Ings has found the net on four occasions but Charlie Austin and Shane Long are yet to break their duck for the season.

Having scored only 8 goals from 12 games so far, Southampton are in dire need of creativity in the midfield and Mark Hughes needs to dip into the transfer market in January to bolster his options up front.

Summer recruit Mohamed Elyounoussi came in with a huge reputation of scoring goals but the former Basel man has failed to deliver the goods, much like his counterpart on the left, Nathan Redmond, who hasn’t done a great job either. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Mario Lemina have done a good job in a box-to-box role in the midfield but Southampton have been left wanting for a perfect creative midfielder.

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That said, the Saints must hijack Leicester’s move for the Spaniard in January. He has already shown plenty of promise and might prove to be the creative influence that Southampton need so desperately to breathe life into their Premier League campaign.