Who Deserves the Southampton Captaincy? This is the question that our regular contributor Dan ponders after the departure of Jose Fonte.
After the unfortunate news of Southampton captain Jose Fonte’s unusual transfer to West Ham United, the club are now looking for a new captain. We are lucky as fans to support a team full of experienced players, some of whom have worn the armband during Fonte’s absences. There are four players who I think could be in the running for the honour and here is an insight on whether they deserve the armband or not…
Virgil van Dijk
After signing from Celtic in September 2015, Van Dijk has been well worth the £13m that the club paid for the Dutch defender. The 25-year old has been a revelation for the team and is rare to not feature in games across all competitions. A fan’s favourite and an influential player, Virgil will definitely be welcomed as the new skipper. Furthermore, Van Dijk has worn the armband on a several occasions, in all six Europa League games and some Premier League, FA Cup and EFL Cup games, due to Jose Fonte being a victim of Claude Puel’s rotation policy. The only reason not to give Virgil the honour is that the chance of him leaving in the Summer is very high due to his incredible performances. After just five or six months of having Van Dijk as skipper, the club would have to find a new one all over again.
Steven Davis
For me, Steven Davis is the player who most deserves the armband. 31 years of age, Davis is full of experience. He joined Southampton in 2012 when they were promoted back to the Premier League and the midfielder has been a strong part of the club’s recent rise. Davis is also the captain for Northern Ireland so is very experienced with the role and captained Saints last season at Stoke when Fonte was suspended. A senior member of the squad and after almost five years of loyal service, he deserves the armband. The likeliness of Steven finishing his career at Saints is rather high, meaning we can enjoy two or three years of the midfielder wearing the armband.
Maya Yoshida
Yoshida is another player who has been with the club for a while and the defender has played a big part in the club’s growth on the football pitch. The Japanese international wore the armband on Wednesday night’s replay with Norwich and to be honest, I felt like he deserved to wear it. Yes, he may have made a handful of mistakes across the years but Yoshida has put in some crucial, fantastic performances, Liverpool in the semi-final for instance. Even though he’s provided good years of service and could be at the club for a few more years, I can’t see the 27-year old getting the captaincy.
James Ward-Prowse
There is little chance of Prowsey getting the armband now at just 22 years of age, however he will be in the running in the future if not now. His name has been brought about when the possible departure of Fonte has been mentioned but personally I believe it’s too early. You do have to say though that he does fit the specifications. Captain of the England U21s, been with Southampton since he was about 13, unlikely to leave in the next few years. Ward-Prowse has been playing in the first team since he was 17 and does need to make a breakthrough as appearances aren’t as frequent as they should be. A captaincy would raise eyebrows but I’m positive that he would live up to the title if given the honour.
So who do you think should be given the Captaincy now ? would you pick one of these four or would you opt for someone different ?
Vote now in our online poll using the link below and give your thoughts in the comments section.
http://www.fansnetwork.co.uk/football/southampton/forum/188079/who-should-be-cap