Southampton: 15-cap target ‘knows how to score goals’ | OneFootball

Southampton target Zakaria Aboukhal ‘knows how to score’ amid growing speculation over his future, according to journalist Jonathan Johnson.

The 22-year-old winger only moved from AZ Alkmaar to Toulouse in the summer transfer window but has already reportedly caught the eye of a couple of Premier League outfits.

Back in October, Football Insider claimed that both Southampton and Leicester City are ‘tracking’ Aboukhal and that he has impressed scouts with his performances.

It was stated that both the Saints and the Foxes intend to continue monitoring the 15-cap Morocco international for the rest of the season as well as watching him closely at the World Cup.

Aboukhal still has three-and-a-half-years left to run on his current contract, though, after completing his £2 million move to Toulouse in July, leaving the Ligue 1 outfit in a strong negotiating position.

Southampton appear to be prepared to wait until the summer to properly assess Aboukhal, although a January offer cannot be ruled out.

What has Johnson said about Zakaria Aboukhlal?

Johnson told GiveMeSport: “The thing that is interesting with him at the moment is he’s somebody who was identified because Toulouse have this focus on data, looking at the numbers, sort of identifying underlying trends.

“There have been a number of players who have moved from the Netherlands to Ligue 1 and had some sort of mixed reviews. Toulouse have somebody who I believe is quite an underrated talent in Van den Boomen, but in terms of Aboukhlal, he is somebody who knows how to score.

“But he’s part of a team that is looking to consolidate their status in Ligue 1 to start with and then try and build up from there. So, I think there’s always going to be this aspect of bringing in talent that is not necessarily on the radar of every top club, adding value to that, and then moving them on.”

Would Zakaria Aboukhlal be a good signing?

Aboukhlal is a versatile attacker capable of playing on either flank as well as upfront and has registered three goals and three assists in 15 appearances for Toulouse throughout 2022/23.

The creative talent has also shone for Morocco at the World Cup in his two substitute appearances and bagged a goal in their 2-0 victory over Canada in Group F.

Aboukhlal has helped his nation progress to the last 16 of the showpiece event and will be hopeful of playing some part in the upcoming clash against Spain.

Southampton, therefore, will surely have been impressed with Aboukhlal’s performances for both club and country this season, and he could provide some much-needed additional firepower.