da bet sport： It isn’t much of a secret that Southampton are in need of reinforcements at full-back.
da imperador bet： Aside from the fact that Cedric and Yan Valery are Ralph Hasenhuttl’s only two senior right-backs, the Saints also have just one senior left-back in Ryan Bertrand – a fresh face or two in those positions wouldn’t go amiss, especially seeing as Cedric has outlined his intentions to leave St Mary’s when his contract runs out this summer.
So, in light of the news that Southampton are considering a renewed effort to land Genk right-back Joakim Maehle this January, the player could well see Hasenhuttl kill two birds with one stone.
How so?
Well, Maehle isn’t just a right-back.
The 22-year-old has primarily featured on the right-hand side of the Genk backline this season, although the Danish ace can also operate at left-back as well, which would solve two major problems for the former RB Leipzig manager.
Maehle has contributed a goal and two assists this season in 26 appearances across all competitions, and having tried to sign the player in January 2019, this long-term Saints target would be an excellent addition for the club given his versatility across the backline.
A big priority
The defence should certainly be a priority this January for Hasenhuttl, as he has been forced to watch his side concede 38 goals in just 20 Premier League games – the second-most amount of concessions in England’s top-flight behind Norwich.
Scoring goals is not as much as a problem, with Danny Ings the Premier League’s joint-fourth top scorer after netting 12 goals already this season – only Jamie Vardy and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have found the net more often.
It would be a huge effort to sign a left-back and a right-back, especially seeing as The Telegraph have reported that Hasenhuttl will be ‘limited’ in his January budget and will also largely need to turn Southampton’s season around with his existing squad – in that respect, signing Maehle to kill two birds with one stone wouldn’t be a bad move.
In other news, The Athletic’s Carl Anka has made an interesting claim on the future of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg…