Russell Martin must sign one a ‘fearsome’ Southampton target who ‘dreams’ of playing in the Premier League.
Southampton knew they had to make a fast start to the summer transfer window to stand any chance of staying in the Premier League.
The Saints will have watched all three newly promoted sides Burnley, Sheffield United and Luton Town get relegated from the top flight instantly last term.
It serves as a marker for how difficult it is to stay in England’s top table for more than one season and building a strong base at the back will be crucial.
Russell Martin has acknowledged that by heavily investing in his defence with the signings of Nathan Wood, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Ronnie Edwards, Charlie Taylor and Yukinari Sugawara.
While most of those additions are unproven in the Premier League, the likes of Edwards, Harwood-Bellis and Wood do have bright futures.
Martin must now complement his solid defensive base by signing some protection in front and there is one target who could be perfect for that role.
Southampton target Lamine Camara is the ideal holding midfielder
Earlier this month, it was revealed that Southampton had launched a bid for Metz defensive midfielder Lamine Camara.
The figure of the bid wasn’t disclosed however, French journalist Sebastien Denis has recently reported that Saudi Arabian club Al-Qadsiah presented a €15m offer that was refused.
It appears that Southampton are in ‘pole position’ to land the 20-year-old, although Denis claims the latest offer submitted by the Saints doesn’t suit Metz.
According to Foot Mercato, though, the South Coasters have a clear edge as the Senegalese international has no intention of leaving for Saudi Arabia and instead ‘dreams’ of playing in the Premier League.
A deal for Camara is one that Martin should get over the line as the Saints need a versatile midfielder to give them a strong option, with the 20-year-old capable of playing as a defensive midfielder, a box to box and an attacking midfielder.
Compared to none other than N’Golo Kante for his endless energy, the 2004-born star claimed the Under-20 African Cup of Nations Player of the Tournament in 2023, as well as the Ligue 1 Young Player of the Season in 2024.
To complement such accolades, Camara has served up some exceptional metrics, including 2.47 tackles per game, 1.12 interceptions and 1.40 blocks per game.
Southampton’s ideal midfield trio with Lamine Camara
Martin’s preferred formation is a 4-2-3-1 system; he utilised that mostly in their promotion-winning campaign last term and has continued to do so in pre-season.
The Southampton boss will want the ball-playing capabilities of Flynn Downes in a deeper role alongside the ball-winning expertise of someone else, and that could Camara, who would be battling the likes of Charly Alcaraz, Will Smallbone and Shea Charles for a place in the side.
Camara is arguably better than the aforementioned trio at recovering possession and in the Premier League, Martin’s men will go long periods without the ball.
Therefore, adding a ball-recovering machine like him to the ranks could see him form a mouth-watering partnership with Downes in a double pivot.