According to Football Insider (h/t MSN), Southampton want to make a move for Toby Savin of Accrington Stanley. It has been said in the report that the club have kept tabs on the player for a while now and are finally thinking about making a move.
Toby Savin is a 20-year-old English goalkeeper who plays for League One side Accrington Stanley. The shot-stopper started his youth career at Southport in 2006 and spent the next seven years there before moving to Wigan.
He had spells at Everton and Crewe Alexandra before finally settling in at Accrington Stanley’s youth setup. After two games for the U-18s, he was promoted to the senior side in 2019. It was only this season that he has started getting a good run of games for the side.
So far he has made 12 appearances for them while conceding 13 goals and keeping 4 clean sheets (source – Transfermarkt). He has not featured for any of the English youth sides or senior side to date.
A look at Southampton’s goalkeeping department will tell us that Alex McCarthy is currently the first choice with Fraser Forster serving as his deputy. Angus Gunn is on loan at Stoke City for the season.
If the Saints were to add Savin to their ranks, they would likely want to send him back on loan to Accrington. He can get regular game time and develop the way he is doing. Alex McCarthy and Fraser Forster are 30 and 32 respectively. While that may still be a young age for keepers, it would not hurt to have two younger stop-stoppers vying for the starting spot next season.
Savin has got the potential and has made the spot between the sticks his own. Gunn, too, is a talented keeper and is touted to take his place at St Mary’s someday. The club would be making no mistake in going for Savin as they would be getting a quality, young goalkeeper who can compete with Gunn for a starting spot in the near future.
While they don’t need him now, they would be unwise to pass up the opportunity to sign him now. He can spend the rest of the season back at Accrington and return at the start of next season along with Gunn to stake a claim for the number one spot.