Southampton lost at Sunderland 5-0, ending their streak of victories in the Championship. As a result, they enter the international break on a negative note.
The Black Cats dominated the Saints in every way, finishing with an xG of 1.94, ten shots on target, six quality chances, and ten shots overall, giving the visitors a dreadful afternoon that they’ll need time to recover from after the internationals.
Since joining the club, Russell Martin has instilled his possession-driven style of football at St Mary’s, but despite dominating the majority of games, he has struggled to knock down. opponents, winning with a single goal in wins over Sheffield Wednesday, Plymouth and Queens Park. Rangers.
Having failed in front of goal so far, Southampton have sought to improve their fortunes by signing Ross Stewart for £8m from Sunderland on the final day.
What are Ross Stewart’s strengths?
During his two-and-a-half years at the Stadium of Light, Stewart was nicknamed ‘Loch Ness Drogba’, a nickname coined by supporters for his instinct to hunt in front of goal and his ability to appear first. his goal. big games.
There were plenty of them in Sunderland’s 21/22 campaign in League One as they fought to their death to get out of the league on their fourth attempt, doing so in the playoffs with Stewart scoring 24 goals later. 46 appearances. After promotion, the 27-year-old went on to score 10 goals in his first 13 league games and although his season was cut short due to injury, his time in the North East was extremely difficult. success.
Although healthy Stewart has the potential to lead the Saints back into promotion, he is not the only striker linked with the club this summer, as Martin is reportedly looking to sign Joel Piroe from Swansea City in an attempt to rekindle his career history with the Dutch side. . .
Piroe, who scored 19 goals last season, would have been a more goal-scoring striker than the Scot.
After scoring an impressive 41 goals in 88 league appearances, Piroe was expected to ply his trade in the Premier League this season, but it was Leeds United who won the race for his signature with 10 contracts worth £ 5 million.
Despite his predatory instincts that see him deliver great returns in front of goal, it is his play that makes him more
than just a striker or poacher in the box. The 24-year-old could play in a deeper role when Daniel Farke used him as a No 10 against Ipswich.
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