Despite four impressive performances, Southampton are seemingly back to square one as the Saints fell to a 1-0 defeat against West Ham in what was one of the club’s worst outings of the season.
Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side were completely outmatched by a West Ham side who too are fighting from the vacuum that is the Premier League relegation zone, and the result was another big indicator that Southampton requires fresh faces when the January transfer window opens in just over two weeks.
And an interesting name has been circulating for the past week or so in the form of Barcelona defender Jean-Clair Todibo, with ESPN reporting last week that Southampton were interested in the defender, and now according to Mundo Deportivo via Sport Witness, an offer has been placed for the 19-year-old centre-back.
Will Hasenhuttl go big on January signings?YesNo |
Indeed, the Saints face fierce competition for the teenage prospect that FC Barcelona Noticias once compared as ‘the new Varane’, with the likes of Bayer Leverkusen, AC Milan and AS Monaco also putting in bids for Todibo as mentioned in the Mundo Deportivo report, but for Southampton in particular, the teenager has the potential to be a season-defining signing.
The French youngster was named Man of the Match by WhoScored in Barcelona’s Champions League match against Inter Milan last week, and this kind of experience and quality could be what patches up Southampton’s leaky defence that has shipped the most goals out of any side in the Premier League this season.
Todibo might be young at just 19-years-old, but the French centre-back could be the player to save the Saints from relegation due to his incredible defensive intelligence, and for Southampton fans, it would be a signing that would be reminiscent of the earlier years this decade with the club bringing in a talented youngster and beating some big-name clubs to get the transfer over the line.
