Southampton registered their first win of the season against Crystal Palace, following two losses and a draw in their first three games. Mark Hughes’ side haven’t been outrightly poor but have plenty of room for improvement if they are to secure a respectable mid-table finish.
The forward line, led by Danny Ings and Charlie Austin, has looked dangerous on occasions but has lacked supply from the midfield. Meanwhile, the injury to Jannik Vestergaard limited their defensive options. However, the Danish international is back, which should relieve the manager and the fans.
Regardless, Hughes must bring in some reinforcements in January to strengthen the squad. Here are two players that the Saints should look to land.
The 31-year-old German-born Ghanaian international has played for Schalke and AC Milan and currently plays for Sassuolo in the Serie A.
Boateng is a quick, dynamic, physically strong and well-rounded midfielder, who is known for his aggression, eye for the goal, long-range shooting abilities, flair and dribbling skills. His game has a particular dependence on sheer strength, power, and energy.
He can produce the work rate and attacking willingness of a box-to-box midfielder. He combines technical skill with the speed of action, making him quite dangerous.
Boateng has been utilized in many midfield positions throughout his career, but he usually plays either in the centre in a box-to-box role. In addition, he can also play as an attacking midfielder and a forward. He has also been deployed as a false-attacking midfielder on certain occasions.
A truly dynamic player, Boateng is no stranger to the Premier League and has experience of playing for Portsmouth and Tottenham Hotspur earlier in his career.
The 32-year-old Italian is currently a free agent after terminating his contract with Juventus. He is yet to find a new club and the Saints should not hesitate to acquire his signature in January.
Marchisio is known for his versatility and ability to play anywhere in the midfield. He has often been used out wide in either a three-man or four-man midfield. He can also play as a defensive midfielder but he seems to thrive when deployed as a central midfielder, where he is often given the license to freely switch between defensive and attacking roles, instead of being limited to one.
He is sometimes classified as an attacking central midfielder due to his penchant for scoring goals, rather than as a traditional deep-lying creative central midfielder.
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The player had occupied a deeper playmaking role for his team, particularly after Pirlo’s departure in 2015. The Italian has loads of experience under his belt and should work wonders for Southampton.
