Southampton return for £60k-a-week star 'not ruled out' at St Mary's | OneFootball

Southampton could genuinely recall defender Jan Bednarek from Aston Villa during the January transfer window, journalist Dean Jones has told GiveMeSport.

The 26-year-old only joined the Midlands outfit on a season-long loan over the summer but could be set for an imminent return to St. Mary’s due to his parent club’s struggles this season.

Southampton news – Jan Bednarek

Mike McGrath of The Telegraph recently revealed that Southampton are ‘in the market for a centre-back’ as the winter window fast approaches.

It’s claimed that the south coast club will assess their options following the arrival of new manager Nathan Jones and that recalling Bednarek from Villa Park is a possibility.

Former Villa boss Steven Gerrard stated that the Poland international had come to the club for a ‘fresh start’ but he’s only featured from the off on three occasions in the Premier League.

“Jan has come here to challenge himself, I don’t know the situation of what happened at Southampton, but it’s a fresh start for him here,” said Gerrard.

“There’s a World Cup on the horizon and I know he’ll be eager to get into the starting XI. We certainly need his aggression and profile and his defensive capabilities at the moment.”

What has Jones said about Benarek?

Southampton are currently lingering in the relegation zone after a hugely underwhelming first half of the season, with a return to the Championship looking likely at this moment in time.

And Jones has told GMS that he ‘wouldn’t rule out’ Bednarek returning to Southampton earlier due to the lack of other options available to the Saints.

He said: “At the same time, there just doesn’t seem to be much out there that is guaranteed to work. So, I wouldn’t rule out Bednarek coming back at all.”

How good is Bednarek?

Bednarek was a regular in Southampton’s starting lineup throughout 2021/22, scoring four goals in his 30 Premier League appearances. And his underlying numbers were even more impressive.

As per WhoScored, the 6 foot 2 ace won 2.9 aerial duels, only Mohammed Salisu won more, while also making 2.3 interceptions, 4.5 clearances, and 0.9 blocks per league game, tallies which none of his teammates could better.

Therefore, the return of Bednarek, who earns £60,000-per-week, could significantly aid Southampton’s push to climb out of the bottom three.

It remains to be seen if Jones does in fact recall the centre-back, but if there isn’t a better player on the market, he may be left with no other option.