Southampton announced the £75m sale of defender Virgil van Dijk to Liverpool on Wednesday, and there are a number of Premier League players they could sign during the January transfer window to replace the Dutchman, as their troubles continue.
It has been a disappointing season for the south coast outfit, and the 5-2 Boxing Day defeat to Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley means that they are just two points above the relegation zone.
With just 20 goals scored and 30 goals conceded, Saints have issues at both ends of the pitch right now, and that is something manager Mauricio Pellegrino may look to put right next month with the money the club has received for van Dijk.
While the south coast outfit have often been accustomed to searching for talent across Europe when it has come to bringing in new players in recent years, they may be looking for players with English top flight experience in the New Year, considering they could easily find themselves in a relegation battle unless they find some form.
A number of players may interest them or be looking to leave their current club when the window re-opens, and Saints could be making some shrewd moves by bringing them to St Mary’s.
Here are three Premier League players Southampton should sign using the van Dijk money…
Alfie Mawson
While Southampton do have the likes of Maya Yoshida, Wesley Hoedt, Jack Stephens, Jan Bednarek and Florin Gardos available as centre-back options, Pellegrino may still be looking to bring a new one to the club next month.
Van Dijk was undoubtedly the club’s best defender – even if he wasn’t totally on his game when he played this season – and the recent poor defensive showings against Huddersfield and Tottenham have potentially highlighted that.
Bednarek and Gardos certainly don’t look as though they will be playing anytime soon, while Yoshida could, and perhaps should, be considered a back-up at best given his recent showings.
Following some impressive performances for Swansea over the course of the last 18 months, Mawson has the defensive attributes and the potential to be a real success at the heart of the Saints defence.
According to Squawka, the 23-year-old has won 69 of the 97 aerial duels he has faced in 20 Premier League games this term, while he has made 134 clearances and successfully completed all five of the dribbles he has attempted.
Theo Walcott
One of Southampton’s biggest issues since the start of the 2016/17 campaign has been their lack of goals and general threat in the final third, and it is surely a priority for Pellegrino to sort out the issue in January – especially now he has some money to spend.
Even though he scored 19 goals in 37 appearances in all competitions for Arsenal last season – and then four in 13 outings this term – Walcott has barely featured in the Premier League for the Gunners and the 28-year-old may be looking to move on to ensure that he has a chance of reclaiming his spot in the England squad ahead of the 2018 World Cup.
With pace to burn, a decent goalscoring record, plenty of top flight experience and a motivation to perform, bringing the wide-man back to St Mary’s 12 years after he left could prove to be an excellent decision.
Olivier Giroud
Southampton enjoyed their biggest success in the Premier League in recent years when they had a big target man like Rickie Lambert and Graziano Pelle in the team, and it is something that they have been missing since the start of last season.
Breaking the bank and bringing Giroud to St Mary’s next month would certainly prove to be quite a coup, with the Frenchman said to be keen to leave the Gunners due to a lack of playing time in the Premier League, which could put his place in the France team ahead of the 2018 World Cup into doubt.
The 31-year-old has scored seven goals in 25 appearances – the majority of which have come from the substitutes’ bench – this term, while he has 105 in 252 in total for the north London outfit.
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