Highlights
- Southampton must unleash one of their new signings against Sunderland this afternoon.
- He’s already lit up the Championship before during a promotion-winning campaign.
- The player was once linked with a move to high-flying Arsenal.
Southampton’s quest to bounce straight back up to the Premier League has got off to a flying start.
Under the stewardship of new manager Russell Martin, the Saints have scored ten goals and registered three wins from a possible four on the board.
Martin’s possession-heavy style has worked a treat so far and to ensure their standards don’t slip, the club have recently dipped into the loan market, acquiring Newcastle’s Ryan Fraser, Everton’s Mason Holgate and West Ham’s Flynn Downes.
The quality Southampton have been able to add, particularly in the loan market, is a remarkable feat for a club in the second tier and this is demonstrated by the top-flight experience accumulated between the aforementioned trio.
What is the Southampton team news vs Sunderland?
When Southampton travel to the Stadium of Light to take on Sunderland this afternoon, Martin virtually has a fully fit squad to choose from, and that is a frightening prospect for the Black Cats.
While centre-back Jack Stephens is their only current casualty after suffering an injury last weekend, Holgate is a fine replacement, and he is likely to make his debut alongside Jan Bednarek.
Further forward, Downes could be handed his first start for the club, but he faces strong competition from central midfielders Carlos Alcaraz, Stuart Armstrong and Shea Charles.
The most exciting of the Saints inclusions could be the lightning-quick Fraser, who would offer an injection of urgency and experience to make way for 17-year-old starlet Samuel Amo-Ameyaw.
How good is Ryan Fraser?
Fraser’s rapid rise to stardom began in 2012, joining Bournemouth at the start of their ascendancy up the football league pyramid, ending with a fairytale promotion to the Premier League in 2015.
The “electric” winger, as lauded by journalist Sean McCormick, would go on to spend eight years at the Cherries, appearing for the club on 208 occasions and registering 57 goal contributions.
His most impressive season came in 2018/19, registering an extraordinary seven goals and 14 assists in the top flight, alerting the likes of Arsenal to a potential transfer.
The following season saw his stock take a dramatic tumble as the Scotland international only managed five goal contributions in 28 appearances during the 2019/20 season.
Having joined Newcastle in the summer of 2020 on a free transfer, Fraser has been unable to replicate the highs of his time at Bournemouth, scoring only three goals in 59 appearances for the Magpies.
While his time in the North East hasn’t worked out as he would have liked, moving back down south can see Fraser resurrect his career and become a key piece to Martin’s promotion puzzle.
The 31-year-old has the telling attributes to become a difference-maker for this Saints side, utilising his electric pace and low centre of gravity to help unlock opposition defences.
Not only would his pace and dribbling provide Martin with an ace in his pack when trying to break down low blocks, but Fraser is also capable of matching, if not, bettering the statistical output of most wingers at Championship level.
During Fraser’s most productive season in 2018/19, the 5 foot 4 ace produced monstrous numbers that saw him stand out when comparing his per 90 stats to his positional peers in the Premier League.
He ranked in the top 1% for assists (0.40), top 2% for crosses (7.70), top 3% for key passes (2.62), top 7% for progressive passes recorded (7.93) and top 15% for non-penalty goals (0.20), as per FBref.
If Fraser can roll back the years and start to produce a similar level of attacking output at Championship level, Martin will have a player on their hands who is capable of firing them to promotion. That begins by unleashing him against Sunderland today for his full debut, in a game that could see him get his career back on track.
