According to Turkish media outlet Sporx, Tottenham Hotspur are ready to launch an offer to try and bring Trabzonspor attacking midfielder Yusuf Yazici to the club next summer.
The 20-year-old has been an impressive performer for the Turkish outfit since making his debut in the 2015/16 campaign, and now his standout displays have caught the attentions of Spurs and boss Mauricio Pochettino.
Sporx says that the north London side have been scouting the playmaker for a while now, and they could finally make their move for the Turkey international at the end of the season after being long-term admirers of his showings on the pitch.
Meanwhile, Southampton manager Mauricio Pellegrino may well be looking to add to his side’s attacking options during the January transfer window and next summer with his team scoring just 15 goals in their 15 Premier League matches this term, and bringing the attacking midfielder to St Mary’s could prove to be a shrewd move.
Here are three reasons Saints should hijack Tottenham’s move for Yazici…
They need a new playmaker
Pellegrino prefers to play with a 4-2-3-1 formation at St Mary’s, but he is still struggling to find a central attacking midfielder that can make a difference on a consistent basis.
The likes of Dusan Tadic, Sofiane Boufal, Steven Davis and James Ward-Prowse have all had a go there this season, and while the former has been a Southampton star in the past when it comes to goals and assists the same can’t be said of him in recent months.
In his last 25 Premier League appearances the Serbia international has scored just two goals and provided a further two assists, with one of each of those coming in the 4-1 win against Everton last month.
It isn’t good enough and Pellegrino may feel that adding a new attacking midfielder like Yazici to his squad would bring a new freshness to his side’s frontline.
Statistics
Yazici doesn’t turn 21 until January, but his statistics for Trabzonspor and the fact that he already has four senior caps for Turkey suggest that he has a really bright future ahead of him.
According to Transfermarkt, the attacking midfielder has two goals and two assists in 14 appearances in all competitions for the Turkish outfit this season, while he has 10 goals and 15 assists in 45 outings in total.
Those numbers hint that he is already ready to make an impact in the Premier League and Southampton should look to bring him to St Mary’s.
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Lack of academy talent
While Southampton have brought through the likes of Theo Walcott, Gareth Bale, Luke Shaw and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain from their academy in the last decade or so, there is no doubt that the impressive supply line has slowed down in the last couple of years.
It means that Saints and Pellegrino may have to look to bring young talent in from other clubs more often than they might have done in the past, and if they want a promising young attacking midfielder that has the potential to make it in the Premier League then there won’t be many better options on the market either in January or next summer than Yazici.
Do you agree, Saints fans? Let us know below.