Looking at Southampton's opening batch of Premier League fixtures, there is a possibility that Russell Martin's men could put together a positive sequence of results to start their season on the right foot.
Newcastle United away is a tough opening day clash for the South Coast club, but a home game in front of the expectant St. Mary's masses versus Nottingham Forest right after this trip to Tyneside could be a great opportunity for the newly promoted outfit to pick up a vital win and get some crucial points on the board early.
Flynn Downes will be expected to perform during these big games in August, having signed permanently for the Saints after an excellent loan spell in the Championship, and he could well line up for these crunch clashes to come with a brand-new partner in the middle of the park.
Southampton enter battle for Premier League midfielder
As per a new report by the Telegraph, Southampton are just one of a whole plethora of clubs eyeing up a potential move for wantaway Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Oliver Skipp this summer.
Skipp will want to get this stuttering career back up and running again, after finding regular first-team minutes hard to come by last campaign at an average of 35 minutes per clash in the top flight, and he could find a new location where he can excel soon in Southampton.
Yet, both Leicester City and Ipswich Town – who join the Saints in the promised land of the Premier League this forthcoming campaign – are also said to be interested in snapping up the 23-year-old, which could lead to a three-way tussle taking place for his coveted services between now and transfer deadline day.
What Skipp can offer Southampton
Skipp might well see what Downes managed to achieve with Southampton last season as one major plus about potentially relocating to the South Coast, with the ex-West Ham United star struggling for minutes with the Hammers, before linking up with Martin and Co to fill the hole left behind by James Ward-Prowse.
There was widespread jubilation online when Downes put pen to paper on a return back to Southampton this summer, and for obvious reasons, with the 25-year-old a calm and stylish operator last season on the way to promotion being clinched.
The beloved Saints number four would average an ice-cold 93% pass accuracy per second-tier clash, alongside displaying another side to his game away from spraying balls about the turf for fun, with grit and determination also present in spades by winning 4.5 total duels per game also.
Games played
33
45
Goals scored
2
1
Assists
2
1
Big chances created
6
3
Touches*
76.3
68.1
Accurate passes*
60.8 (93%)
49.1 (88%)
Interceptions*
1.4
1.1
Tackles*
1.8
2.2
Total duels won*
4.5
5.7
Downes might well strike up a formidable duo with Skipp, therefore, if the Spurs outcast swaps North London for pastures new, with the in-demand 23-year-old a top performer for Norwich City during the 2020/21 campaign, on the way to lifting the Championship title.
Beating Downes when it comes to total duels won and tackles averaged per game that standout campaign, the Spurs number four will be seen as the more defensively sound of the two moving up a league, with Martin aware that his Saints side will need to be more switched on at the back when facing the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City who boast frightening attackers.
The tenacious 5 foot 9 battler will want to prove himself away from Ange Postecoglou's men and show he can be a consistent top performer at the elite level, and he has shown in flashes for his boyhood employers in the past that he can shine in the tough league.
Tottenham great Glenn Hoddle has even described the £40k-per-week man as "fabulous" when commenting on the hard graft he previously has put in for Spurs, and so Southampton could bulk up their holding midfield options with a tireless new face soon, who could shine next to Downes.
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ByKelan Sarson