Southampton head coach Russell Martin has a busy couple of months ahead of him as the club has to navigate the summer transfer window.
The side’s relegation to the Championship has left them in a position where some of their players are now targets for top-flight outfits and the ex-Swansea tactician will need to make shrewd moves in the market to build a squad capable of pushing for promotion.
John Percy, of The Telegraph, recently reported that Premier League side Newcastle United are in talks with the club over a potential deal for Tino Livramento.
The Magpies are attempting to sign the right-back from St. Mary’s and would be willing to offer a fee in the region of £15m as well as throwing Ryan Fraser in as a makeweight.
However, the Saints value the former Chelsea academy prospect at £30m and it remains to be seen whether or not they would be willing to entertain such a proposal.
Would Ryan Fraser be a good signing?
If Southampton do agree to a player-plus-cash deal from Newcastle then Martin could land a big upgrade on current winger Moussa Djenepo by signing Fraser.
The Scotland international has been frozen out of the picture by Eddie Howe, with no first-team minutes since October of last year, but has showcased his ability as a creative forward in the past.
Since the start of the 2020/21 Premier League campaign, Fraser has averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.71 or higher along with a contribution of two goals and five assists in 53 top-flight outings. He has recorded a score of 6.84 or higher in three of the last four seasons with no Saints attacker managing higher than that last term.
In that time, Djenepo has averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.59 or lower alongside an unimpressive one goal and two assists in 55 league appearances.
The 29-year-old also produced an outstanding seven goals and 14 assists, along with 2.4 key passes per match, during the 2018/19 Premier League season for Bournemouth.
Djenepo, meanwhile, only has 13 assists in his entire club career and has never averaged more than 0.6 chances created per league clash for the Saints. In fact, no player in the squad managed more than 1.9 key passes per game or four assists.
Therefore, Fraser, who was once described as a “pocket dynamo” by ex-Scotland forward Charlie Nicholas, has the potential to be a big upgrade on the former Standard Liege dud.
The £42k-per-week earner has not been a standout in recent years, with a lack of regular game time at Newcastle of late possibly playing a part in that, but has still been able to produce performances that Djenepo has never been able to manage in England.
