Why Florian Grillitsch would be a smashing signing for Southampton
Earlier in February, German outlet Sport Bild (h/t Daily Mail) had reported that Southampton were among a trio of Premier League clubs chasing Hoffenheim midfielder Florian Grillitsch. Arsenal, Newcastle United, and Inter Milan had also been named among the potential suitors for the Austrian international, who eventually ended up staying put at Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga.
Profile
Florian Grillitsch featured for the youth sides of SVSF Pottschach and St. Polten in his native Austria before moving to Germany to complete his development at Werder Bremen. He initially made his mark for the club’s reserve side before making the step up to the first-team in the Bundesliga during the 2015-16 season.
The 25-year-old then joined Hoffenheim in the summer of 2017 after making over 50 appearances for Werder Bremen. Grillitsch has established himself as an undisputed starter at the Rhein-Neckar Arena over the past three seasons, registering 4 goals and 9 assists in 104 outings.
Grillitsch represented Austria in the youth level before making his senior international debut in 2017. He has accumulated 18 caps for his nation so far.
Grillitsch would add more quality to the Southampton midfield
Southampton roped in Ibrahima Diallo from French outfit Brest before the summer deadline to replenish their reserves in the midfield following the departure of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg to Tottenham. However, the 21-year-old is hardly a finished article just yet and despite his potential, he still needs more exposure to play a big role in the Premier League.
The Saints conceded 60 goals in the Premier League last season and have already shipped 9 goals in 6 games so far this term. While the defenders have come under criticism time and again for those bizarre numbers, it is worth pointing out that those in front of them haven’t done an awful lot to prevent the inflow of goals either.
With that in mind, Southampton ideally need another quality holding midfielder to shield their backline effectively. Oriol Romeu has done a decent job as the first-choice defensive midfielder alongside the more attack-minded James Ward-Prowse. But the need for improvement in that department has been quite evident.
To put things into perspective, Southampton making a renewed attempt to sign Florian Grillitsch would go a long way towards adding more depth and balance to their midfield. The Austrian enforcer has proven his quality as a defensive midfielder in the German Bundesliga and looks more than capable of making the step up to the Premier League.
Plus, the 25-year-old also has the versatility to operate as a centre-back and in a box-to-box role. That would potentially offer Hasenhuttl with valuable cover in more than one area of the pitch.
As evident from his heat map last season, Grillitsch is a hardworking midfielder capable of covering a lot of ground.
While he is a defensive-minded player, the Austrian doesn’t hesitate to venture forward and contribute to the build-up play in the attacking phase. Such a trait of dynamism would hand a boost to the Hasenhuttl’s side.
Read More
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Verdict
Florian Grillitsch fits the bill as a more readymade replacement for Hojbjerg in Southampton’s midfield. He still has his best years ahead of him at 25, so the Austrian ticks the box not only as an immediate game-changer but also as a good long-term signing as far as the Saints are concerned.
With less than two years remaining on his current deal, Southampton should fancy their chances of negotiating a deal below his £20million release clause when the transfer window reopens in January.
