Russell Martin certainly used his Swansea roots in last summer’s transfer window, after being appointed Southampton manager.
Left-back Ryan Manning joined on a permanent deal following the expiration of his contract with the Swans.
Meanwhile, Flynn Downes was signed on a season-long loan from West Ham. The midfielder was another player who previously played under Martin at Swansea.
Since making the move to St Mary’s, Downes has made 23 appearances for Southampton in total. He also recently scored his first goal for the club. That came against Swansea of all teams, in a 3-1 win.
After he had scored that goal, Martin described the midfielder as ‘immense’. Now, one stat has emerged that certainly seems to back that up.
Flynn Downes among best in the world for one attribute
According to a new report from Football Observatory, Downes has stood out for his ball retention under pressure this season.
Data compiled by the site has assessed the best midfielders for retaining possession under high pressure. The study looks into individuals playing in 28 different league around the world, who have completed at least 1,000 league minutes this season.
As per that analysis, Downes is the 12th best player in the study, for retaining possession under pressure.
These figures states that the on-loan Southampton man keeps hold of the ball 90.1% of the time, when under pressure.
Not only does that make him the 12th best in the world for this stat, but the second best English-based player.
Only Manchester City’s Rodri (92.1%) retains the ball more often than Downes while playing in this country during the current campaign.
Overall, the player who tops this list is Darlington Nagbe. The 33-year-old is playing for Columbus Crew in MLS, and keeps possession 93.4% of the time when under pressure this season.
Southampton see importance of Downes with this stat
It always felt like Downes had the potential to be a big player for the Saints this season.
His Premier League pedigree and previous connection with Russell Martin, did make him an exciting signing for the club.
That has been backed up by his performances, and stats such as this. Since arriving at the club, Martin has looked to implement his possession based style of play at St Mary’s.
As a result, having a player who can keep hold of the ball even in challenging positions, feels vital to the way Southampton play.
Downes is showing he can be the man to fill that role, something this stat about his ball retention highlights.
With all that in mind, you couldn’t blame Southampton if they were to consider looking into a permanent move for the midfielder in the summer, especially considering his lack of opportunities at West Ham.