Southampton have kicked up their interest in Fulham defender Joe Bryan as Ralph Hasenhuttl looks to improve the Saints’ fullback position this month.
The Daily Mail report that the south coast side have stepped up their pursuit of the Championship defender after Premier League rivals Watford and Serie A club Atalanta submitted enquiries for Bryan, who has been a pivotal player for Scott Parker’s team this season.
As stats from WhoScored show, Bryan has been ever-present in Fulham’s starting XI this season, with the 26-year-old left-back making 28 appearances in all competitions for the Cottagers, scoring once and assisting another three for the west London side that currently find themselves fourth in the Championship table and seven points off the automatic promotion spots.
Is the defence the number one area Ralph must improve this window?
Yes, we leak in too many goals
No, things are starting to turn around for us
Hasenhuttl has publicly admitted that he is interested in signing a fullback this month, with the Austrian manager saying to Sky Sports News: “It is absolutely clear that we must do something with the full-back positions. This is definitely a position we’re looking at for the moment and we will do something.”
And Bryan could be a suitable signing for the Saints this month with the club actively looking for new players to strengthen the fullback position. As stats from Transfermarkt show, the former Bristol City defender has a solid amount of Premier League experience, playing over 2,000 minutes last season in Fulham’s doomed campaign back in the English top-flight.
Competition, though, might be Southampton’s biggest obstacle when trying to get a deal done for Bryan, with Atalanta set to play Valencia in the Champions League round of 16 next month in what has been a fairy tale season for the Italian side embarking on their first-ever European campaign.
