Southampton are reportedly in pole position for the signing of 17-year-old Carlisle United defender Jarrad Brathwaite.
According to The Sun via The Boot Room, the teenage centre-back is reportedly on the radar for the Saints as well as Premier League side Newcastle United and Scottish Premiership club Rangers, yet as per the report, Southampton are currently in the lead for Brathwaite’s signature.
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As stats from Transfermarkt show, the promising centre-back has only just broken into the Carlisle first-team, with Brathwaite starting the last six league games for the League Two side, resulting in the teenager playing over 600 minutes of first-team football already this season.
Southampton are expected to be busy in the January transfer window, with The Mirror reporting via HITC that Ralph Hasenhuttl is looking at shoring up the defence which has this season conceded the most goals in the Premier League.
Although Brathwaite has done well to break into an EFL side at just 17-years-old as a centre-back, signing the teenage defender would likely be seen as an asset for the future for the Saints if they are to beat out the likes of Newcastle and Rangers for the Carlisle prospect.
Indeed, looking to poach exciting young talent from the EFL is not a bad thing for Southampton, though, despite their impressive reputation of developing players from their famed academy, and in the case of Brathwaite, the Saints will be wise to try and snap up the teenage defender.
Breaking into a professional first-team at the age of 17 is impressive, doubly so as a centre-back at a League Two side, and for Southampton, they could be wise to try and acquire Brathwaite’s services when the transfer window opens in just over a month.
