Will Still knows him well: Southampton FC could unlock untapped potential with Morgan Guilavogui | OneFootball

Despite scoring just six times for St. Pauli last term, Southampton target Morgan Guilavogui's stats do not paint the full picture.

Southampton are interested in signing RC Lens forward Morgan Guilavogui, after the forward netted six times on loan in the Bundesliga with St. Pauli last term.

Following their top-flight survival, the Hamburg club activated the €3 million option to purchase Guilavogui; however, in a strange turn of events, RC Lens triggered the €4.5 million buy-back clause to bring the 27-year-old back to the club.

Guilavogui started in Lens' first match of the Ligue 1 term, a 1-0 loss against Lyon under new manager Pierre Sage, after he replaced Saints boss Will Still following his departure.

Fabrizio Romano reports that Southampton are interested in a deal for Guilavogui, and despite netting just six goals last term, the potential is there for the Guinean to become a key player at St Mary's.

Morgan Guilavogui's stats don't paint the full picture

The summer of 2024 was a rather strange one for St. Pauli. Ahead of their first Bundesliga campaign since 2010/11, Premier League outfit Brighton poached promising manager Fabian Hürzeler.

The Kiezkicker were sent back to the drawing board, and for incoming head coach Alexander Blessin, securing safety was the only goal in mind, and they did so, with Guilavogui playing a huge part.

The 27-year-old finished last season as the club's top scorer with six, three more than both Johannes Eggestein and Oladapo Afolayan, while Pauli themselves found the back of the net just 28 times in the league, by far the lowest tally, while fellow promoted outfit Holstein Kiel were relegated back to the 2. Bundesliga with a tally of 49 goals.

What Blessin's side had, however, was a mean defence, with only champions Bayern Munich conceding less than St. Pauli's record of 41.

Despite not being the easiest on the eye, the club all but secured safety thanks to a 2-2 draw against Eintracht Frankfurt in the penultimate match of the term, with Guilavogui providing a goal and an assist at Deutsche Bank Park.

He also spearheaded the club to not just their biggest win of the season, but one of just three home wins as they dispatched Union Berlin 3-0 at the Millerntor. Guilavogui netted twice, while Pauli shifted into a much more coherent attacking unit with the form of the Guinean and the arrival of Noah Weißhaupt on loan from Freiburg.

Guilavogui would fit seamlessly into Will Still's system

With the current Saints squad in mind, Guilavogui may not be the first name on the teamsheet as of now. However, with Mateus Fernandes and Tyler Dibling heavily linked with moves away this summer, he could be a valuable option to fit seamlessly into Will Still's system.

As St. Pauli secured their top-flight safety last term, Blessin fielded a 3-4-2-1 system akin to that of Will Still in his early days at St Mary's.

The difference, however, is the understandable defensive approach that restricted Blessin's forward players.

Operating from the right as one of the two behind the centre forward, Guilavogui bore responsibility for most of Pauli's attacking play, and was aided by Weißhaupt's January arrival, who began to share this responsibility from the left.

Southampton are one of the favourites to challenge for promotion this term, given the talent in their ranks. And Guilavogui would only benefit from playing in a side carrying much more of an attacking outlook.

With the talent at Still's disposal, the Saints are likely to score a lot of goals this term. The 27-year-old's clear talent could be fully unlocked, whether he comes in as an impact player or as one of the names in the starting 11.

If a deal is done for the right price, Guilavogui would be a smart signing for Southampton, and Still would, of course, be picking up a player that he already knows from his time at Lens.