Southampton have entered the race for 22-year-old Queens Park Rangers Bright Osayi-Samuel, with the Saints plotting a late move for the Championship prospect.
Football Insider claims that Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side are one of a handful of clubs interested in the young winger and that Southampton’s scouting team are confident in Osayi-Samuel making the leap up from the EFL to the Premier League after an impressive season with QPR.
As stats from WhoScored show, the former Blackpool prospect has been one of the west London club’s most productive players this season, with Osayi-Samuel scoring four and assisting four in 20 Championship appearances for Mark Warburton’s side, with one of his goals gaining the youngster national recognition after the attacker netted a tremendous solo strike against Birmingham City last month.
Is this the most important transfer window in recent years?
Yes, we need fresh faces
No, we've experienced worse
The goal for Southampton this transfer window has seemingly been to add to the backline which has seen Ralph Hasenhuttl publicly admit via Sky Sports News that the Saints need fullbacks, yet Osayi-Samuel could be an interesting signing for the Premier League side if they can pry QPR away from one of their star assets.
Described as a ‘power athlete’ but his manager via The Brent and Kilburn Times, Osayi-Samuel has formed a reputation for himself this season as one of the deadliest dribblers in the division, with stats from WhoScored showing the youngster is averaging 2.9 successful dribbles per game, the fourth-highest in the Championship this season.
Although the Saints have found little problem finding the net this campaign, the need for an extra attacking player, particularly on the right where Southampton are lacking as charts from Transfermarkt show, Osayi-Samuel’s numbers this season, as well as his high potential, could make the 22-year-old an ideal signing for Hasenhuttl going forward.
Osayi-Samuel has shown this season to be a player capable of playing at the highest level, and for Southampton, they could have a star for the future amongst their ranks if they can pull off the signing.
