Why Southampton offering Ryan Bertrand a new contract is the right move by the club
According to Hampshire Live, Southampton could offer Ryan Bertrand a new contract, with his current deal set to expire at the end of this season. Manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has heaped praise on the veteran left-back too and a deal could soon be in the works.
Profile
The 31-year-old English left-back started his youth career at Gillingham FC in 1998 and moved to Chelsea’s academy in 2005. While he was still in the U-18s, he was loaned out to Bournemouth in 2006. In 2007, he was officially promoted to the first-team.
A string of loan moves to Oldham, Norwich, Reading and Nottingham Forest followed between 2007 and 2010. After that, he started getting games for Chelsea, although it was on a sporadic basis. He made a total of 57 appearances for the Blues, scoring and assisting twice (source – Transfermarkt). Another two loan spells followed to Aston Villa and Southampton in 2014.
In 2015, Southampton signed him permanently. Since then, he has been a mainstay of the Saints backline, making over 200 appearances, scoring 8 times and assisting 19. A regular for the England youth teams, he has also managed to play 19 games for the senior side, scoring once.
Offering a new contract is the right move
Ever since his move from Chelsea, Bertrand has adapted his game to the many managers Southampton have hired and fired. He has managed to keep his place cemented and despite the age, he still looks to have the qualities for a decent left-back.
He is eager as always to go forward and join the attack, yet not compromising on his defensive duties. Yes, Jake Vokins has arrived at the club but he is too young to be starting as the first-choice.
Bertrand is probably in the final few years of his career and will want to spend them playing week in week out. He would also like to have a good influence on Vokins, who is likely to take over when Bertrand decides to call it a day.
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The Saints are right to ponder over a new deal for him. After all, he has given so much for the club, with over 200 appearances. He is also a fan favourite and giving him one last deal could be best for both club and player for the foreseeable future.
