"Better out there" - Leicester City player on Southampton's radar: The verdict | OneFootball

This article is part of Football League World's 'The Verdict' series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

With Russell Martin now officially announced as their new boss, Southampton can start to go about their summer transfer business at last.

One name the club are reportedly interested in is Leicester City's Hamza Choudhury.

That is according to The Telegraph's transfer notebook, which reported that the midfielder is on the Saints' radar.

Would Hamza Choudhury be a good signing for Southampton?

With the links to Choudhury in mind, below, three of our FLW writers have offered their verdict on this potential transfer.

Adam Elliott

Choudhury is a fairly one-dimensional midfield player, with his primary function to be aggressive and break up play.

He’s somewhat limited with the ball, but would be a good screening midfielder in Southampton’s team to give their better forward players more license to roam free.

Choudhury would add some steel to their midfield. The 25-year-old is combative and robust, and doesn’t shirk a challenge.

Southampton have Ibrahima Diallo as their only other midfield profile like this, but the Frenchman is into the last year of his deal. In that sense, Choudhury is a practical and necessary signing.

He needs a fresh start to get his career off the ground, which has stagnated in recent years.

Declan Harte

Choudhury had a solid season at Watford last season and was one of the team’s better players.

He would be a good fit for Southampton as he is quite comfortable in a possession-heavy side, and he offers something extra with his strong ability for winning back the ball.

A lot of this deal does depend on the potential cost, as the Saints should look to avoid splashing the cash on someone who won’t be a difference-maker in their promotion push.

However, he would be a smart addition to the squad if they can convince Leicester to part ways with the 25-year-old at a reasonable cost.

Simmey Hannifin-Donaldson

I'd have to question whether or not Southampton can do better, to be honest. Therefore, this is one the Saints should avoid.

Having seen Choudhury first-hand a lot at Watford last season, whilst at times his willingness to get stuck in and break up play was much-welcomed, at other times, he was frustrating to watch.

As much as I like the energy and passion he bring, on the ball, his ability is very limited.

I'm really not sure how he'd get on in a side as possession-orientated as the ones Russell Martin tends to set up.

Furthermore, Watford had a £6 million option to buy Choudhury at the end of his loan.