Leicester City have reportedly made an approach to land Liverpool midfielder Adam Lallana on a free transfer in the summer.
According to Sky Sports, Leicester have opened talks over a deal for the England international, with Arsenal and Tottenham also said to be interested.
Earlier this year, former England forward Darren Bent backed Southampton to sign Lallana on a free in the summer.
Speaking to Football Insider about where Lallana could end up, Bent said:
Southampton, I could see him going back there. I can see him going back to Southampton.
The one that everyone says whenever you talk about a player dropping down is Everton but that’s not going to happen. Southampton would be perfect.
But should Southampton join the race and challenge Leicester, Arsenal and Tottenham for his signature?
No. Quite simply, in our opinion, he is past his best and could struggle to fit in with how Ralph Hasenhuttl sets up his team.
Lallana has only started nine Premier League games in the last three seasons, highlighting his injury problems coupled with a failure to nail down a place in Liverpool’s starting line-up.
This was after five straight Premier League seasons of starting 20 or more games, for Southampton and Liverpool combined – showing how he has regressed over the years.
Hasenhuttl’s formation does not, on paper, appear to suit Lallana. The Liverpool man is a classic number 10, although also capable of playing out wide. Southampton play with two pacey wide options, with Lallana more of a slower playmaker – especially at this stage of his career after a series of injuries.
Lallana also turns 32 before the end of the season. This means that he is heading towards the end of his career and could be a player Hasenhuttl is unable to coach and develop over time, due to his age. Instead of signing Lallana, Southampton could invest in a younger player in his position and look to grow them in order to create resale value.
This means that he may not suit Southampton and the best option could be to let the likes of Leicester, Tottenham and Arsenal fight for him.
