A right winger who can deliver goals and assists on a regular basis may just be the difference between Southampton achieving automatic Championship promotion this season and facing the lottery of the play-offs.
Nathan Tella started the season on the right flank but completed a £20 million move to Bayer Leverkusen late in the summer transfer window.
Ryan Fraser was subsequently signed on loan from Newcastle United but was never intended to be the Tella replacement and was instead signed with a view to playing on his favoured left wing. With Kamaldeen Sulemana and Sam Edozie both injured, Fraser is currently the only senior winger available to Russell Martin. Fraser was the standout performer in the 4-0 FA Cup win over Walsall last time out, scoring two and assisting another, but the problem is that all three of Fraser, Sulemana and Edozie play their best football from the left.
Adam Armstrong has been one of Southampton‘s most improved players this season and has arguably played his best football from a wide right starting position but, aside from the 13 goal attacker, Southampton lack options.
In order to really bolster their chances of promotion, Southampton should be doing all they can to sign Manuel Benson from Burnley this transfer window; the Belgian having shown last season he can be the difference-maker at this level.
Could Manuel Benson solve Southampton right wing issue?
Benson has found opportunities hard to come by since Burnley returned to the Premier League this season, starting just once and only managing four league appearances.
The 26-year-old wing wizard has spent some of the campaign on the sidelines with an injury sustained in a Carabao Cup game against Salford City in September, but for the majority of matches he has simply not been fancied by his manager Vincent Kompany.
This is strange considering it was the ex-Manchester City captain’s decision to take Benson to the club from the Belgian top flight in his first summer as Burnley boss. The reason his omission from Kompany’s plans has been most surprising, though, is the fact Benson scored 14 goals and registered four assists in all competitions in his debut season in England.
Southampton desperately need an attacking player who can take some of the burden off of top scorer Adam Armstrong and Benson has shown he can do just that. After Armstrong on 13, Southampton’s next top goalscorer is Che Adams with seven in all competitions and even he faces an uncertain future with an exit not ruled out this month.
Benson is a direct, tricky winger whose left foot is capable of moments of real magic. Speaking after Benson scored for the fourth game in a row in a win over Bristol City last season, Kompany explained: “Goals others would find hard to score are just normal for him. I will still be asking him for some tap-ins, but what he has done for us is fantastic”.
It is not just Benson’s own manager who has piled the praise on the former Belgium youth international, with EFL pundit Sam Parkin describing the winger as ‘electric’ after a memorable brace helped Burnley beat Middlesbrough last season.
With the Saints consistently dominating their opponents this season with Martin’s possession-based philosophy, often the missing piece of the puzzle is the ability to unlock a determined opposition defence. A player like Benson could be the perfect solution to this problem. With his confidence to try something out of the ordinary, as well as his ability to score from distance, Benson could be the spark when Southampton are struggling to break down their opponents.
The fact that Benson is left-footed is a bonus too, given that the only other regular left-footed starter at the club is Ryan Manning. Whilst potentially not a major issue, it would give Southampton a more balanced feel to have an attacking player who favours their left side and give the team a bit more variety too. Benson’s prowess with his left foot led to Tella comparing him to Dutch legend Arjen Robben on Instagram whilst the pair were both at Burnley after a stunning striker against Rotherham United in April.
The other factor that means a deal for Benson makes sense is that he can play from the right without compromising the threat of star man Kyle Walker-Peters. Walker-Peters’ marauding runs down the right have been a feature of Southampton’s attacking play this season and Adam Armstrong’s inclination to drift into central areas has meant that the right-back effectively has the flank to himself most games. With Benson’s natural instinct being to cut inside onto his stronger left foot, this means that the space wide on the right will still be free for Walker-Peters to drive into at will.
Will Southampton sign Benson this January?
The question, then, is how likely are Southampton to be able to secure a deal for Benson this month?
Given that Burnley spent the summer unsuccessfully pursuing a deal for Tella before his move to Leverkusen, relationships between the Clarets and Southampton are somewhat fractured.
Tella was never a regular starter at Southampton and was a revelation on loan at Burnley last season, hence their desire to sign the 24-year-old permanently. Given that Kompany coached Tella to a season in which he scored 19 goals and provided five assists in all competitions, it is perhaps understandable that Burnley felt they should be able to sign the Nigeria international in the summer. However, unfortunately for Burnley, the successful loan spell drove his price up and the club had to turn their attention to other targets.
Now, it looks as though that saga may impact representatives of the Turf Moor club’s willingness to do business with Southampton despite Benson no longer being considered a key player. Benson signed a new four-year deal in the summer which adds to the complexity of any transfer taking place.
There have been reports that Southampton would be interested in a loan deal, with Hull City also keen. Given that Hull beat Southampton to the signature of Liverpool’s Fabio Carvalho this week, it may be that Liam Rosenior’s side are no longer interested in a temporary deal, leaving the Saints with a clear run at agreeing a deal.
Southampton are also said to be exploring the possibility of securing a loan deal for other right wing targets, with Manchester United’s Amad Diallo and Bournemouth’s David Brooks both interesting the club hierarchy.
It will be difficult for Southampton to get a deal over the line given the soured relationship with Benson’s parent club. However, if they manage to pull off a loan for Benson it will greatly improve Martin’s chances of steering his side to automatic promotion this season.