"The one concern would be..." - Southampton identify 28-goal striker as Che Adams replacement: 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...

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Championship side Southampton have made an enquiry about signing Hearts striker Lawrence Shankland.

That is according to TEAMtalk, who state the Saints have identified the Hearts striker as a suitable replacement for Che Adams, who is expected to depart for Everton.

Russell Martin has made it clear that Southampton need to sign another striker after stating how important Adams has been to the team.

So this report states that the Championship club has contacted Hearts to see if they would be open to selling their striker.

Shankland has caught the attention of interested teams with his performances for the Scottish Premiership side, with the 28-year-old reportedly having suitors from Saudi Arabia.

While we wait to see how this develops, Football League World writers have shared their thoughts on this news and stated whether he would be a good signing for the Saints.

Here is what they said…

Brett Worthington

The forward has proven over a number of seasons how prolific he can be in front of goal.

Shankland grabbed 28 goals in all competitions for Hearts last season, and they were a side that struggled for most of the early parts of the season.

The Scot has scored a bundle of goals wherever he has played, but the one concern would be that he hasn’t played in England before, and the Championship is completely different from Scottish football.

There is no denying he could come to England and continue his brilliant scoring record over here, but there would be some doubts about whether he would be as prolific or find it as easy as he may do in Scotland.

Furthermore, Shankland is 28 years old, and you just wonder whether Southampton may be better off going after a player who is slightly younger and has more years ahead of him at the top level.

In terms of price, he would cost a fraction of the fee they're receiving for Che Adams, but there may just be better options out there at this stage for Southampton.

As a short-term option to replace Che Adams, Lawrence Shankland is an interesting prospect for Southampton.

The 28-year-old has been in red-hot form for Hearts since the start of last season - bagging 28 goals in 47 games in 2022/23 and scoring four in five this term - and there are suggestions it could cost £4-5 million to price him away from Tynecastle.

He looks to be a player that knows where the back of the net is, which is no bad thing for Russell Martin given his sides can often struggle to convert their dominance in possession into goals, but we know that strikers sometimes take time to adapt to the move from the SPFL to the EFL, if they manage to do so at all.

Shankland has more to his game than just goals - linking up well in the final third with his teammates, carrying and progressing the ball effectively, and proving a useful player out of possession.

I'm not sure he is a long-term answer up top and someone that can make a huge impact should they return to the top flight but as a replacement for Che Adams to boost their promotion push this term, he could be effective.