According to reports, Southampton are keen to sign Aston Villa starlets Keinan Davis and Andre Green this summer.
Villa are in huge trouble financially, following their failure to secure promotion to the Premier League this past season. To balance the books, the Midlands club are ready to take huge cost cuts and offload a chunk of big earners in the summer.
Keeping in mind Villa’s financial instability, Southampton must look to test the club’s resolve for two of their promising youngsters- Davis and Green. Davis, 20, signed for Aston Villa from non-league side Biggleswade Town in 2015, while Green, 19 have progressed very well through the ranks at Villa Park.
Davis made 14 appearances last season, scoring three goals. It was the breakthrough season for the 20-year-old and he was named Villa’s Young Player of the Season for the 2017/18 season. Davis played a pivotal role in helping Villa reach playoffs but his dream to play in the Premier League next season was shattered when his club lost to Fulham last month.
The same goes for Green but the 19-year-old played only 5 games across the entire campaign, largely due to a horrendous hamstring injury he picked up in January. It was a campaign which was supposed to be the winger’s breakthrough period but it turned out to be a forgettable one, owing to the injury he sustained earlier this year.
A little worrying factor would be that some players are never the same after coming back from a long absence; hopefully, it won’t be the case with Green. However, he is just 19 and has a lot of time to regain his confidence and prove himself all over again next season.
As far as Southampton are concerned, they have to massively improve next season after beating the drop by a whisker. Mark Hughes needs to bring serious reinforcements in every area of the field if the Saints hope to challenge for a finish in the top half.
The Saints need to be ruthless and relentless in their summer recruitment drive. They should take utmost advantage of Villa’s financial instability by offering deals for both Davis and Green.
The duo were both given several first-team opportunities by Steve Bruce this past term. While Davis and Green may not be ready for Premier League football, signing them now on cut-price deals would work fantastically well for the Saints in the future.
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