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:

Lang laps up four-goal Pompey plaudits: There’s no feeling like it
Callum Lang grabbed the headlines and lapped up the plaudits for scoring all four goals in Pompey's impressive 4-1 win over Coventry City at Fratton Park.
Mousinho outlines latest on Pompey's defensive injury worries
Conor Shaughnessy is still some way off a return to Pompey's defence - and this weekend's clash with Coventry looks like it may come too soon for Regan Poole.
Plenty of excitement - Pompey boss relishing fixture list picking up
After a stop-start few weeks in terms of fixtures, Pompey boss John Mousinho is relishing the other extreme - a hectic schedule.
Swansea City 2 - 2 Portsmouth - Player Ratings and Reports
If you saw the match, please give us your player ratings and a mini match report.
Breaking news: Pompey set to play game of football
In an unexpected twist to the season, Pompey are due to play a game of Championship football this weekend.
Cullen on Pompey's transfer strategy: 'It will bring success long-term'
Andy Cullen is comfortable that Pompey's recruitment strategy is working - and says it's important to look at the long-term not just the short-term.
Grateful and happy - how Bishop is feeling after triumphant Pompey return
Grateful to be back in the fold - and for all the support he has been shown by staff and team-mates at Fratton Park.
Blues belief among frustration - Mousinho positive ahead of Pompey-Preston
Pompey are bottom of the Championship and there's a fair bit of doom and gloom among the fan base - but you won't find John Mousinho feeling sorry for himself as he plots to try to secure a home win over Preston North End this weekend.
Pompey head to Hull with boss insisting: We're still in positive mood
John Mousinho is confident Pompey will be in the right frame of mind as they bid to recover from their latest Championship setbacks by gaining some reward from their trip to Hull.
Pompey have so much room for improvement - but doomed already? No way!
Twelve games into Pompey's season, and it would appear we've landed slap bang in the middle of relegation fight. Not what we wanted, not what many expected, I don't think, and not a very nice prospect for the long winter months ahead.