According to reports from the Daily Echo, Southampton are interested in signing Standard Liege starlet Moussa Djenepo in the summer, with manager Ralph Hasenhuttl reportedly keen on luring the 20-year-old winger to St. Mary’s at the end of the season.
The Daily Echo also adds that Hasenhuttl is unlikely to get too many players off his books in the summer, having already offloaded the likes of Manolo Gabbiadini, Wesley Hoedt, Steven Davies and Cedric Soares back in the January transfer window.
The same report claims that Djenepo is rated at £20million by the Belgian giants and the Malian international fits the profile of someone Hasenhuttl would take a keen interest in. Djenepo, who initially joined Standard Liege on loan from Malian club Yeelen Olympique back in January 2017, was signed permanently by the Belgian outfit at the start of the previous campaign.
The 20-year-old didn’t make much of an impact last season but he has really come of age for the club this time around, contributing with 11 goals and 6 assists from 38 appearances in all competitions. He has been a revelation this season and his red-hot form has put him on the radar of Southampton.
Djenepo also featured regularly for Standard Liege in the group stages of the UEFA Europa League this season and proved his worth by finding the net on three occasions against Sevilla and Akhisarspor.
The 20-year-old has also been capped on 8 occasions by Mali at the senior international level since making his debut against Ivory Coast back in 2017.
Essentially a left-winger by trade, Djenepo is also capable of playing out wide on the right, owing to his ambidextrous nature. Noted for his lightning pace, quick feet and mesmerizing dribbling skills, Djenepo is a sharp, agile and fleet-footed player, who has the ability to set the stadium on fire with his lung-busting runs and awe-inspiring skills on the ball.
His low centre-of-gravity allows him to keep exceptional close control and good body balance, while his ability to dribble at pace and change directions in the blink of an eye makes him a dangerous presence down the wide areas.
He is someone who knows how to create his own space down the flanks and his end product has been very impressive this season, something which should prompt Southampton all the more to pursue an interest in him.
The jet-heeled winger, though, is not only about pace. He has shown good maturity in terms of movement off the ball and defensive contribution as well. Djenepo not only sets up goals with his trickery and crossing but he is equally adept at running behind the opposition’s backline to capitalise on the through balls.
To put things into perspective, the fans on the south coast have every reason to be apprehensive about this move, given that the Saints have had little luck with their big-money signings in recent years.
The likes of Sofiane Boufal, Mohamed Elyounoussi, Guido Carillo and Jordy Clasie have all failed to live up to the billings but Moussa Djenepo has shown strong signs of excellence very early in his career.
There is always an element of risk involved in signing little-known players from the lesser leagues in Europe, but if Southampton have done their homework on the player and are confident about him making an impact in the foreseeable future, then there is no reason why they shouldn’t go ahead with the deal.
And there is no one better than Ralph Hasenhuttl when it comes to nurturing young talents, bringing the best out of them and transforming them into world-beaters.
He showed that time and again during his time at RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga and Southampton should back the Austrian’s abilities. In fact, the likes of Josh Sims and Yan Valery have enjoyed the fruits of playing under Hasenhuttl.
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Southampton currently do not have too much depth in their wide options, and although Djenepo is likely to take time to acclimatise to the new surroundings, he has the raw talent and the potential to make a big impact at St.Mary’s in the years to come.