Jack Stephens will surely be worried if Will Still signs ‘quality’ Southampton target
After breaking records for all the wrong reasons before being relegated from the Premier League, Southampton supporters will be hoping they can flourish on their return to the Championship.
Southampton secured the appointment of Will Still in May, who arrived from Ligue 1 with a burgeoning reputation for his achievements at Stade Reims and RC Lens.
The 32-year-old will be aiming to replicate the blueprint that saw him overachieve in France and become one of the most exciting managers in European football.
But first, the Belgium-born boss has an important summer of business to carry out as the Saints begin to build the foundations of their promotion challenge.
However, Still will be confident of replacing whoever leaves and assembling an exciting squad, starting at centre-back.
Jack Stephens will be worried if Southampton sign Juma Bah
Southampton conceded a whopping 86 goals in the Premier League last term, the most of any side in the division.
The Saints must improve drastically in the second tier to stand any chance of promotion, and Still has already identified a target he worked with at Lens in 2024/25.
According to The Express, Southampton are interested in loaning highly-rated centre-back Juma Bah, with the youngster in desperate need of regular first-team football in England.
City only signed Bah from Real Valladolid in January after a plethora of clubs were in the hunt for his signature, and now the 19-year-old could reunite with Still at St Mary’s.
Southampton have a history of signing youngsters from Man City, and that could work in their favour to land the Sierra Leone international, but it wouldn’t benefit Jack Stephens.
Some supporters were shocked when the Saints captain was named on their retained list, feeling it was time for him to leave and start afresh elsewhere.
Stephens struggled in the Premier League last term, and with the depth of options available, including Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Armel Bella-Kotchap, Nathan Wood and Jan Bednarek, the Englishman would be pushed further down the pecking order by the arrival of Bah.
Ultimately, in Still’s 3-4-1-2 system, he needs pace and strength at the back to deal with counter-attacks, and they are two attributes the 31-year-old lacks.
Juma Bah’s stats for Lens
Bah only spent the second half of the season on loan at Lens, but he showed his class as a ball-playing, physical warrior in defence.
The talented youngster made just 10 appearances, though the stats he garnered during his short period in the team were impressive.
Juma Bah’s Lens stats
10 appearances
4 clean sheets
1.7 interceptions per game
1.6 tackles per game
4.7 clearances per game
4.3 duels won per game (72%)
94% pass completion
Bah is a ‘quality’ defender and has all the makings to become a world-class player for Man City in the future. However, an important step in his development could be spending a season in the Championship, and that is where he can showcase his talent in England.
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