It would be something of an understatement to say that Southampton’s defence needs some fixing.
As the Premier League table shows, the Saints have conceded the most goals out of any side in the English top-flight this season, with Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side keeping just two clean sheets in the division and being on the receiving end of the highest-win for an away side in the history of the Football League when Leicester City came to town in October.
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The January transfer window will be seen as an important period of the season for the south coast side as it will offer Southampton the chance to rebuild their crumbling defence, and New York Red Bulls defender Aaron Long has been a name that has recently come up as an option for the Saints.
Sky Sports News report that the 27-year-old centre-back has been offered to Southampton with Long having a reported release clause of just $6m (£4.6m), and for Hasenhuttl’s side, the US international could be an ideal solution to solve the club’s short-term defensive problems.
Winner of the 2018 MLS Defender of the Year award, Long has been one best centre-back’s in the American top-flight since breaking into the Red Bulls first-team in 2017, going from strength to strength with the New-Jersey based franchise and staking a claim for himself as one of the US’ starting centre-backs.
Standing at 6’1”, comfortable from playing out the back and playing for a Red Bulls side that have made a name for themselves over the years as a high-pressing side as explained by American Soccer Analysis, Long could be a good fit for a Hasenhuttl team where high intensity is the end goal for the Austrian manager as per Total Football Analysis.
Southampton’s need for a new centre-back is evident, and with Long available for a cheap price-tag and fitting the bill as to what Hasenhuttl needs from a centre-back, the Saints might have just found their short-term fix to their big defensive problems.
