Arguably Southampton fans have seen significant defensive improvement following the arrival of Austrian manager Ralph Hasenhuttl, but we all know we can improve further and if reports are to be believed, we will be targeting centre-half Tyrone Mings come the summer.
The 26-year-old is contracted to fellow Premier League side Bournemouth, but finds himself out on loan with Championship team Aston Villa in the second half of 2018/19 as he builds his fitness and form and gets himself back on track after injury problems in recent times.
Mings has by rights, been a massive hit at Villa Park with his style of play and leadership helping them get their own season back on track, but Villa do not have a buy clause on the loan, so his future remains in doubt.
Given his performances so far, The Mirror (print edition, Sunday – P72) had a speculative report that we were now tracking his progress as a potential summer recruit. Should we be relegated this season I would imagine this would be a non-starter even if we do have an interest, but certainly if we retain our top flight status we’d have more wriggle room on their ‘matching offer’ and would undoubtedly be a more positive option for him.
