This could be the shortest review of a player in the squad as we look at a man who strangely never managed a single minute in first team action for Saints.
The arrival of Vegard Forren on January 18th was eagerly awaited by Saints supporters, the central defensive position was considered the weak link in the side and most supporters were disapointed that it hadnt been strengthened in the summer window and expected that to be rectified in January.
Forren arrived with the background that he had been pulled from his hotel room in Liverpool where he was about to start a week long trial and after signing he admitted that he had been told that he wasnt meeting Nigel Adkins as he would soon be leaving, how much Mauricio Pochettino had to do with the signing is also open to conjencture.
Saints fans naturally assumed if Liverpool were interested then he must be of a decent standard at least.
The fact that he didnt appear in the first few games of his Saints career didnt worry many, the Norwegian season had ended five weeks earlier, he would be ring rusty but surely refreshed and in need of just a couple of weeks to get back to match fitness, anyway knowing he was going to Liverpool for a trial he would have surely kept fit during the Norwegian break, but February came and went with little sign of him apart from an appearance on the bench on 9th February for the visit of Man City, perhaps showing he was fit but not match fit quite yet, spordically he would be named as sub, play the odd U21 game and indeed actually play an International for Norway in mid March, but as the weeks turned into months he was no nearer actually getting on the pitch than he had been at the end of January.
So just why hasnt he managed a game ? reportably the fee to sign him was approaching £4 million and as an experienced Norwegian International not to mention a club career with Molde that includes European experience surely he would be good enough for the first team at Saints.
But strangely Pochettino does not appear to rate him highly enough even to give him a quick run off the bench for five minutes or so, clearly not, I have heard rumours that Saints consider him one for next season and felt he was jaded after the Norwegian season, Im not so sure about this, by the time he arrived at St Mary's he had had as much a break as English players get in the summer and to be blunt our need was not next season it was in January as we were still and remained in a relegation battle right up to the penultimate week of the season, if he was good enoughb he should have been put in, after all a few games near the end of the season wouldnt have harmed him and he now has an even longer rest.
Truth of the matter is, if he does play in August, he will be nine months since playing his last competitive club game and thats a hell of a rest.
So what does the future hold at St Mary's for Forren ? well you would hope that perhaps he will come good next season, if he does it makes it all the stranger why he hasnt got a game in the last four months of 2012/13 season, if he is a flop he will be an expensive one at that,if the fee is £4 million or thereabouts as reported, he could quite honestly be our 3rd most expensive signing in history behind Ramirez and Rodriguez and on a par with Rory Delap.