Southampton are on a remarkable run of form, having gone 20 games unbeaten in all competitions, and subsequently have not had to panic this transfer window.
This fortunate position has seen them able to pull off an astute piece of business seemingly completely out of the blue, welcoming Bournemouth midfielder Joe Rothwell on loan for the rest of the season to bolster Russell Martin‘s midfield options.
The club are still very much in the market for a right winger, with names such as Amad Diallo, David Brooks and Manuel Benson all having been mentioned as possible targets. Any change in the situation regarding Che Adams‘ future could lead to a scramble for a new striker to be signed; Adams available for a cut-price deal due to his contract expiring in the summer.
With Rothwell’s loan arrival confirmed by the club on Monday, Southampton players got their first look at the midfielder in training soon after. With any new signing first impressions are important, but when you join a club that has just equalled the longest unbeaten streak in their history the pressure is certainly on.
It would appear that Rothwell has passed that test with flying colours, at least in the opinion of one key man.
Flynn Downes impressed by Joe Rothwell in training
That player is Flynn Downes, another midfielder on loan from a Premier League club.
Speaking to the Daily Echo after his first look at the 29-year-old, Downes commented: “He looks very good. He has trained with us and he looks sharp”.
Downes also expressed his view that it is important to add to the squad in the January transfer window regardless of how the season is going, as he went on to say that: “I think you need to bring in new faces in January. It gives you a little boost”.
In the short-term, Rothwell’s arrival helps Martin’s midfield options with Joe Aribo absent for as long as Nigeria remain in the African Cup of Nations. With the consistently excellent Stuart Armstrong and Carlos Alcaraz competing to be the most attacking of Southampton’s three man midfield – the former with greater success – and Downes himself one of the first names on the team sheet, Rothwell is likely competing with Will Smallbone and Shea Charles for a starting spot whilst Aribo is on international duty.
Whilst it is arguably not a position that the Saints were desperately in need of recruiting for, Rothwell does add experience and quality to the middle of the park. Downes clearly rates Rothwell, but looked to calm expectations by explaining that Martin’s style takes time to adapt to, saying: “He is a good player. Last year he played a lot in the Premier League and did well”.
“Our style is very different. I don’t think he will have experienced it at any other team”.
“It does take time but I think he will get there. We have already done a bit of shape work”.
Southampton face both Martin and Downes’ former club Swansea City next, almost a month after beating the south Wales club 5-0 on Boxing Day. It will be intriguing to see how much involvement Rothwell will have given he hasn’t started a game since a Carabao Cup win over Stoke City at the end of September.
One thing that is for sure, though, is that Rothwell will be desperate to hit the ground running and make an impact, having fallen out of favour at Bournemouth under Andoni Iraola.