Why Southampton should avoid a move for Danny Welbeck
According to The Sun, Southampton are leading the race to sign Watford star Danny Welbeck ahead of the new campaign.
The report suggests that Welbeck, who has just one more year left on his contract with the Hornets, wants to leave Vicarage Road after Watford were relegated to the Championship. It claims that he would be a cheap option and has also attracted a lot of interest in the top flight.
Profile
Born in England, Welbeck started his journey with Fletcher Moss before joining Manchester United’s youth system in 2008. He went on to make 142 appearances for the Red Devils and won two league titles and a Champions League trophy during his time at Old Trafford.
He was signed by Arsenal in 2014, where he immediately established himself in the starting XI in his first season at the club. However, since then, his career has been on the decline due to serious injuries.
And the 42-cap England striker was sold to Watford last summer on a free transfer. He failed to deliver for the Hornets and couldn’t rescue them from relegation.
Why Southampton don’t need Welbeck
Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side were one of the best teams in the league since the restart. Despite a poor first half of the campaign, they managed to finish in the 11th position in the league after a series of brilliant results towards the end.
At the moment, the Saints have five centre-forwards in their ranks. English ace Danny Ings has been brilliant throughout the campaign as he managed to score 22 league goals, finishing one goal short of Jamie Vardy, who won the Golden Boot award. He is likely to continue as their main striker.
Apart from that, Che Adams and Shane Long are also in contention for the spot. Adams did a decent job in the last few weeks of the campaign and Long is one of the senior-most members in the squad. They also have young Michael Obafemi, who is highly rated. Thus, there is no need for them to bring in another striker in the summer.
In that regard, signing Welbeck wouldn’t be a wise decision by the club. The English international has failed to find the back of the net regularly in recent years. Moreover, he has struggled with injuries for the majority of his career and has been completely out of form, managing just 2 goals in 18 league games last season.
Signing him would only make Southampton waste their resources in the future. Welbeck is already 29 and will soon be entering the final phase of his career and wouldn’t have enough to offer in the future. Thus, they should refrain from any move for the former Manchester United man.
Read more
- Why Kamil Jozwiak could be a good signing for Southampton
- Why Southampton should keep hold of Harrison Reed
Verdict
The Saints have a mix of attacking talents in their ranks, from a youngster to an experienced campaigner and it would make no sense if they make a move for Welbeck. Instead, they should look to strengthen other key areas in the squad.
