da mrbet： According to reports in the Southern Daily Echo, Southampton are hoping to sign 21-year-old Lech Poznan defender Jan Bednarek this summer.
da blaze casino： The Saints are looking to sign a centre-back before the start of next season after Martin Caceres was released at the end of last term following the end of his short-term contract, while doubts still remain over the future of captain Virgil van Dijk.
Bednarek will feature for Poland at this month’s European Under-21 Championships, where he could come up against Saints stars James Ward-Prowse, Nathan Redmond, Jack Stephens and Matt Targett, who are all in the England squad and in the same group.
The south coast outfit have certainly had a lot of success with their recruitment policy with central defenders in recent years, with Dejan Lovren and Toby Alderweireld impressing before moving on to Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur respectively.
Van Dijk is the latest impressive recruit at the heart of the defence, and Southampton will be hoping they can keep hold of their skipper for at least another year.
Here are three reasons Bednarek could be their next centre-back star…
He is good on the ball
When Southampton signed Lovren, Alderweireld and Van Dijk, they were clearly targeting centre-backs that were comfortable on the ball, able to keep possession and with the ability to produce a range of passes.
While Bednarek still has a lot to learn as he is just 21 years of age, he has already shown in his 40 appearances in all competitions for Lech Poznan that he has good ability with the ball and has even played in defensive midfield on occasions.
He is strong in the air
Standing at more than 6’2” tall Bednarek is known for his strength and aerial presence – similarly to Virgil van Dijk – and in that respect he could be the perfect partner or replacement for the Saints captain depending on what happens with the Dutchman this summer.
His standing jump is also impressive and that confidence in the air would be important if the 21-year-old moved to the Premier League, which of course can be a physical league at times.
He is relatively quick
When you’re coming up against players like Jamie Vardy and Sadio Mane in the Premier League, defenders need to have that turn of pace to help them and Bednarek has shown he has that.
At 21 years of age, he still has young legs and he has already shown in his Lech Poznan career that he can be quick when he needs to be – an important trait when you arrive in England with lots of teams favouring the counter-attack.
Do you agree, Saints fans? Let us know below.