According to reports in The Mirror on Thursday, Everton are reportedly confident they will beat Southampton to the £20m signing of out of favour Arsenal winger Theo Walcott this month.
The Toffees are keen to bring the England international to Goodison Park before the transfer window slams shut on January 31, and manager Sam Allardyce confirmed in his pre-match press conference on Friday that the club have opened negotiations over a deal for the 28-year-old.
Saints are also keen to re-sign him 12 years after he left for the Gunners, but the player’s reported £110,000-a-week wages and the fact that they are only above the relegation zone on goal difference could prove to be two big issues.
If the south coast outfit do miss out on Walcott they will be forced to look elsewhere for a wide player, and they may well choose to take another look at Pione Sisto, who The Mirror reported they wanted to sign from Danish side Midtjylland in 2016.
The Denmark international ended up joining La Liga outfit Celta Vigo instead, but Mauricio Pellegrino could be making a shrewd move by reigniting the club’s previous interest in the 22-year-old, who is rated at €15m (approximately £13.3m) according to Transfermarkt.
Here are three reasons Southampton must forget Walcott and reignite their interest in Sisto…
Goals and assists
Southampton boss Pellegrino will be looking for goals and assists from a new winger given that his team has only scored 21 goals in 22 Premier League matches this season, and there is no doubt that Sisto would be able to deliver.
The 22-year-old has more assists (nine) than any other player in La Liga this season in 18 Spanish top flight appearances for Celta Vigo, while he has also chipped in with two goals.
Sisto impressed for Midtjylland previously too with 31 goals and 11 assists in 112 games, while he caused the Republic of Ireland all sorts of problems with his speed, strength and technical ability as Denmark thrashed them 5-1 in their World Cup play-off.
Pace
You know that you’re going to get pace if you’ve got Theo Walcott in your side, and if Saints can’t sign him then they won’t be losing out on that acceleration if they buy Sisto instead.
The 22-year-old is super quick and can play on either flank, and there is no doubt that his direct style would prove to be a problem for opposition Premier League defenders.
According to WhoScored.com, the Denmark international has successfully completed 32 of the 68 dribbles he has attempted in 18 La Liga appearances this season, and like Sadio Mane often did for Saints, he would bring an unpredictability factor on the pitch for the south coast outfit.
Potential
While Walcott is a proven player at this level, his age and his reported wage demands mean that he isn’t the typical Southampton signing.
The south coast outfit have tended to sign younger players that are out of favour at other clubs, before giving them a platform to play and improve to improve their value.
Signing Sisto, who celebrates his 23rd birthday next month, for a fee in the region of £13m would certainly be more like it for Saints, and the winger has the potential to go and become a big player for them both now and in the future.
Do you agree, Saints fans? Let us know below.
[ad_pod ]
