Southampton FC told to strike Lawrence Shankland transfer - He can "back up Ross Stewart" | OneFootball

FLW's Southampton fan pundit has given his verdict on links to Lawrence Shankland

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Southampton have been linked with a potential move to sign Lawrence Shankland this summer.

According to The Scottish Sun, the 29-year-old has emerged as a possible addition to Will Still’s squad in the upcoming transfer market.

However, the Saints will face competition from West Brom in the race to his signature, with Shankland set to become a free agent.

The forward contributed eight goals and eight assists in the Premiership last season, with Hearts coming seventh in the table.

Southampton urged to sign Shankland

When asked about the links to Shankland, FLW’s Southampton fan pundit Martin Sanders claimed he’d be a great addition to the squad.

He believes the Saints need to sign a goal scorer this summer, suggesting the Scot could be what they need to provide cover for Ross Stewart, given his injury record.

“He was linked with Southampton in the last transfer window in the summer, he’s been linked with us several times actually,” Sanders told Football League World.

“He’s been prolific up in Scotland, did very, very well.

“We need somebody that’s going to score goals, we need somebody that’s going to back up Ross Stewart.

“We all know Stewart’s struggles with injuries, I don’t think we can be banking on Stewart to be the answer next season.

“A striker is definitely a must for Southampton.

“I think he’s an interesting striker, can he drop down and do it in the Championship? It’s a tougher league.

“I think he’s definitely someone I’d be looking at, without any shadow of a doubt.

“His record in Scotland is superb, if he can come into the Championship and score goals for Southampton it would be massive for us.”

Southampton have appointed Still as manager with the goal of earning promotion straight back to the Premier League next season.

Shankland signing could be a solid move for Southampton

Given Shankland will be available as a free agent, this could be a reasonable addition for the Saints this summer.

The extra firepower will be needed given how much the team struggled for goals last season.

It will also depend on how Still views their current options, as they have Cameron Archer and Adam Armstrong, as well as Stewart.

Southampton are an enticing prospect for someone like Shankland, but if they cannot guarantee him regular game time then perhaps West Brom may win the race to his signature instead.