x

Southampton Linked With Gary Cahill ! Can We Hope For A Leader At last !

I have been saying for the last 5 years that we lack a leader in our back four, not since the departure of Jose Fonte have we had an organiser and a leader, could Gary Cahill fill that role or could Saints look to pay out for someone a little younger.

Saints do have some leaders in the team, the likes of James Ward Prowse, Oriol Romeu , Jan Bednarek and even Stuart Armstrong lead by example, but they are not leaders of men and just as importantly they are not organisers.

At Everton Saints once again fell away in the final stages of the game, as has happened on many occasions in the past few years we can dominate games in the early stages, but in the final stages we give away far too many points.

Some would say it is a lack of fitness or the fact that we blow ourselves out and the legs go in the last 15 minutes, but it is something more than that, it is organisation and leadership.

When the game up's its tempo in the last 20 minutes it is just as much about cool heads and keeping our shape as it is about fitness and we have lacked someone to do that.

So the news that we are linked with Gary Cahill is music to my ears, in some respects with the B team we have already done something similar in bringing back Ollie Lancashire to mentor our youngsters, an old experienced head to organise and keep the heads up and that is what we need Gary Cahill or someone like him to do with the first team.

Someone who is something more than just a player but a mentor as well.

The 6ft 4 inch central defender will turn 36 in December, but he can still do a job for us, of course his best days are behind him, but it should be remembered that it was only 3 years ago that he played 27 Premier League games for Chelsea and in his two years at Crystal Palace he has managed 25 & 20 games respectively in the league.

So he could well be the man for us, of course Saints will feel that in Jan Bednarek & Mo Salisu we have two players that we have a partnership that could last us several seasons, but Bednarek needs a leader and Salisu needs experience.

Cahill coming in could be a valuable asset coming off the bench in the last 20 minutes to steady the ship.

But with the sale of Jannik Vestergaard and half of the Danny Ings money still left, we could opt to actually spend some money on the problem, Phil Jones of Manchester United has been mentioned before and he could suddenly become an option.

Nat Phillips of Liverpool has also been mentioned, but is he really any better than who we already have, at 24 his League experience is just 17 appearances for Liverpool in the Premier League and 19 for VfB Stuttgart in Bundesliga 2.

At his age he really should have more under his belt than that and our problem is all about the lack of leadership and experience, not being a promising youngster.

So Gary Cahill could be a good fit for Saints, both on and off the pitch, on the training ground we seem to lack a coach with defensive nous, with Cahill it could be just as much about what he does off the pitch and on the training ground as it does in a Premier League match .

What to read next:

Leeds United announce exciting plans to expand Elland Road
The 49ers have been promising to redevelop our beloved stadium ever since they started to invest in the club, and today they have finally published some further details of what it’s all going to involve.
Leeds get back on track against woeful Cardiff
After last week’s defeat, Daniel Farke must have been thankful that the fixture list gave us the division’s bottom team as our next opponents. But although we got the win we needed, it was against a desperately poor Cardiff City who had to play with ten men for over an hour, and somehow it felt strangely unconvincing.
Cardiff Awaydaze
This season’s visit to Cardiff City is on Saturday with a 3pm kick-off, and you’ll find their current stadium to the west of the city centre, only a quarter of a mile from their former home at Ninian Park.
Leeds suffer frustrating defeat at the hands of Burnley
Once again Leeds dominated the possession but couldn’t find their way past a determined and well-organised defence. So it was Burnley who took the points after taking advantage of one of the few occasions when they were able to break downfield.
Leeds pay tribute to former captain Sol Bamba
Sol Bamba passed away on Saturday at the tragically early age of 39. The tribute on the club’s official website was one of many, as the football world paid it’s respects to a defender who was highly regarded by everyone in the game who came into contact with him.
Patient Leeds overcome Hull with strong second half performance
At half-time this game was well and truly in the balance, and Hull City had enjoyed some moments in the first half. But once Leeds had opened the scoring in the second they had no response, and it was comfortable for Leeds in the end.
Leeds get one deal over the line as Tanaka arrives at Elland Road
The club’s official website announced the signing of Japanese international Ao Tanaka from Fortuna Dusseldorf today, though it remains to be seen whether we will land any more of our targets before the 11pm deadline.
Patience Pays off as Solomon signs for Leeds
As Manor Solomon joined us on a season-long loan from Tottenham Hotspur, the club were quick to justify their approach to the transfer market when they announced the news on the official website.
Farke hails the best performance of the season as we beat Wednesday
Leeds dominated the game from the start against a hapless Sheffield Wednesday, and at last there were signs of things starting to come together after a difficult start.
Sheffield Wednesday Awaydaze
This season’s visit to Sheffield Wednesday is at 8pm on Friday and once again this fixture is live on Sky Sports. We’re not famous any more! The only surprise is that the police allowed an evening kick-off instead of insisting on Saturday lunchtime.