According to a report from The Telegraph, Southampton ‘will address’ the first-team squad’s weaknesses in central defence and at full-back in the January transfer window.
Saints appear ready to step up their plans for the New Year following their 9-0 loss to Leicester City on Friday night.
Southampton are, as per the report, looking to stick with Ralph Hasenhuttl as they attempt to support him with new arrivals in January.
The club signed Kevin Danso on loan in the summer, but little has changed at the back for Saints, who have suffered from defensive deficiencies for some seasons now.
Meanwhile, the recent injury to Cedric Soares and shortage of depth beyond Ryan Bertrand at left-back appears to have highlighted the team’s weakness down the flanks.
Read Southampton’s verdict
Saints definitely need to fix the issues at centre-back once and for all. Numerous players have been signed over the years, but no-one has replaced Virgil van Dijk properly yet.
Danso can feel hard done by, given that he has not played much in his regular position, nor has he been handed sufficient opportunities to settle at the club.
However, Southampton simply need more, and signing a genuinely reliable centre-back will be crucial if they are to avoid the drop this season.
As for the full-back speculation, it would be encouraging for Saints to recruit a new left-back. Matt Targett hasn’t been replaced, and Jake Vokins doesn’t appear to be ready yet.
Bertrand is, of course, a good player, but he’s been declining for some seasons now, and Friday only reinforced the argument that he’s not the dependable, high-quality defender he once was.
