Mohammed Salisu in action against Barcelona (Getty Images)
According to Sky Sports (h/t Daily Mail), Southampton have completed the signing of Real Valladolid defender Mohammed Salisu.
The 21-year-old centre-back has penned down a four-year contract at St Mary’s after Saints triggered his £10.9million buyout clause. Salisu, thus, becomes Southampton’s first summer arrival ahead of the new season.
The young Ghanaian, on the other hand, has had an excellent season with Valladolid, helping them climb to 13th in La Liga just two years after earning promotion to the top-flight. Despite finishing in the bottom half of the table, Salisu’s rock-solid displays at the back have seen Valladolid emerge as the side with the sixth-best defensive record in the league.
Having broken into the side’s first-team from their youth setup, Salisu has impressed in his maiden season itself, keeping 10 clean sheets from 31 league matches. Salisu’s excellent defensive displays and quick rise through the ranks seemed to have attracted Southampton, who, meanwhile, have struggled with their defence.
Their inconsistency and poor form at the back saw the Ralph Hasenhuttl-led side fall as low as the bottom three early this season. Though they managed to bounce back to the top, finishing 11th in the league rankings, they still conceded 60 goals from 38 league games.
This shows that Southampton are in clear need of reinforcements and it is not a big surprise they roped in the in-form Salisu. Moreover, with Danish defender Jannik Vestergaard failing to establish himself as a regular and falling down the pecking order under Hasenhuttl, Salisu’s arrival seems like a welcome sign.
He could also challenge first-choice defenders Jan Bednarek and Jack Stephens for a starting contention within the side, having proved himself already at the highest level in Spain.
The Saints also have 26-year-old Wesley Hoedt in their defensive department, but he is clearly not a favourite, having spent last season on loan with Belgian side Royal Antwerp.
Thus, Southampton made the right decision by bringing a rising talent like Salisu into their side, who could even go on to the lead their defence in the future if he develops well.
Despite having enough depth at the back, Southampton have suffered defensively this season, meaning Salisu’s arrival will only give them more strength. Also, he is just 21 and can develop further under the guidance of Hasenhuttl.
