Southampton striker Shane Long is poised to sign a contract extension to keep him at the club beyond the end of the season.
According to The Telegraph, Long will put pen to paper on a new deal, with his current contract due to expire in the summer.
Long would have been available on a free transfer ahead of the 2020/21 season, but Southampton have moved to pin him down to the club for another year.
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This could prove to be a shrewd piece of business for Southampton, given Long’s recent performances in the team. The forward has scored two and assisted one in his last five appearances for the club, with four of the games coming against teams in the top half of the table. He set up a goal against Leicester, while also finding the back of the net against Tottenham and Wolves.
This shows that he is still capable of producing quality performances against some of the best sides in the league. Despite recently turning 33, Long is still providing energetic displays and is constantly working his socks off to close down defenders and press from the front to win the ball back or force errors from the opposition.
He has been an impressive foil for Danny Ings in recent weeks, working the channels and holding the ball up in order to create the space for Ings to work his magic in. Long drags defenders out of the way and stretches the play, so that Ings can make his clever runs and find himself in front of goal. This is why Southampton keeping Long at the club could be a smart decision, as he allows others to benefit from his work, whilst also contributing himself.
