Southampton: £50k-a-week star will now ‘expect’ to replace Bazunu at St Mary’s

Southampton manager Russell Martin could have a decision to make.

Southampton manager Russell Martin could have a decision to make with Gavin Bazunu, as journalist Dean Jones discusses the prospect of bringing in Alex McCarthy, while speaking to GIVEMESPORT.

Bazunu was forced to pick the ball out of his net five times at the weekend, which could be a concern for Martin.

Southampton news – Gavin Bazunu and Alex McCarthy

Bazunu signed for Southampton last summer from Manchester City for a fee of £15m, according to The Athletic. At the time, Bazunu was a 20-year-old goalkeeper who had just completed a season on loan with League One Portsmouth. The step up to the Premier League was never going to be easy, especially for such a young talent.

There’s no doubt the Republic of Ireland international struggled, saving just 54.2% of shots he faced last term, the lowest in England’s top flight, as per FBref.As mentioned, Bazunu shipped five goals against Sunderland at the weekend, and with an experienced goalkeeper in McCarthy, who is earning £50k-a-week at St Mary’s, waiting on the bench, could it be time to take Bazunu out of the limelight?

Journalist Jones has now discussed the prospect of Bazunu being dropped, and he’s certainly not against the idea.

What has Jones said about Bazunu?

Jones has suggested that he believes McCarthy will be expecting to be given a chance for Southampton after the international break. The journalist adds that Martin can’t continue to select a goalkeeper whose confidence is on the floor, and it could be time for McCarthy to step up.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, he said: “Yeah, when there are mistakes like that that seem pretty high profile and glaring, it’s difficult for a goalkeeper because there is really no hiding place and you can’t blame anything else but yourself. The good thing for Southampton is that they have got genuine competition in this position and that McCarthy is a good keeper.

“I think McCarthy will now be expecting to get a chance, to be honest, and you almost have to give it to him. Bazunu has done well, but you can’t have a goalkeeper whose confidence is on the floor. You need to give him a different environment to rebuild that.

“Letting in five goals at Sunderland will have done him no favours at all. I know that dropping him also isn’t going to help but you can’t just leave your reserve goalkeeper wondering what he has to do to get a run out and I feel like he has to now turn this into proper competition.”

Would McCarthy be a better option for Southampton?

In reality, McCarthy himself has struggled in a Saints shirt. The season before Bazunu arrived, McCarthy himself only managed to save 62% of shots, and ultimately, there was a reason Bazunu took his shirt in the first place.

However, McCarthy does have plenty of experience at the age of 33 in comparison to Bazunu, so if the Irish goalkeeper continues to struggle, then it might be a smart move to give him some time out of the team.

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Southampton: £40k-a-week star could now be ‘game-changer’ at St Mary’s

Southampton will be happy after ending the window strongly.

Southampton duo Che Adams and Kamaldeen Sulemana could be key players for Russell Martin this season, as journalist Dean Jones provides the details on their failed departures, while speaking to GIVEMESPORT.

The Saints lost a host of players during the window, but managed to keep hold of Adams and Sulemana.

Southampton transfer news – Latest

After being relegated from the Premier League, Southampton fans would have expected some of their key stars to depart during the window. James Ward-Prowse, Tino Livramento, Nathan Tella, and Romeo Lavia are among the players to have gone through the exit door at St Mary’s, with all four earning moves back to top leagues around Europe. The disappointment for Saints fans could be that they received over £150m in sales, but only spent around £18m on new signings, as per Transfermarkt.

However, the south coast club did bring in the likes of Flynn Downes, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, and Mason Holgate on loan for the season, as they look to bounce back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

Martin and his recruitment team did, however, manage to keep hold of both Sulemana and Adams, who were both attracting interest from Everton at one stage. The Southampton duo didn’t get their moves, and will now ply their trade in the Championship this campaign. Now, journalist Jones has provided some insight into what the pair can offer, despite the speculation of them leaving the club.

What has Jones said about Southampton, Adams, and Sulemana?

Jones has suggested that keeping hold of Adams and Sulemana will be like having two new signings. The journalist adds that there’s a good chance all the speculation will be put behind them over the next few weeks, and they can start performing for the Saints. Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, he said: “Keeping those two players is as good as any two signings they could have made in the window. Obviously you have to hope the players are able to refocus mentally on the task at hand, but we see this time and again when established Premier League teams are relegated and after a couple of weeks, back in the flow of playing, all the speculation is put behind them and everything shifts towards being successful for the team that continues to pay you and play you. Saints have every chance of bouncing straight back this season and Russell Martin’s job is made easier if those two can get to the top of their game.

“Sulemana is a brilliant player. You really need players of his style in the Championship to literally change the course of games. When you talk about a game changer, he literally is capable of that. I feel like the Championship could be a really good platform for him to give himself the elevation that he needs in terms of status, even at Southampton to show people what he’s actually capable of on a weekly basis. We haven’t seen it on a consistent week by week basis, but he could do that in the Championship, and sometimes it is worth hanging around just to play the long game.”