Southampton manager Ralph Hassenhuttl will have to trim his squad to generate funds for new signings in January.

The Austrian replaced Mark Hughes in early December and won two of his first four games as manager of the Saints. The upcoming transfer window will give the former RB Leipzig manager to chance to tailor the squad to fit his needs. However, a few seasons of overspending on below-par players means that Hassenhuttl will have to offload a number of fringe players in order to generate valuable transfer funds.

Hassenhuttl will aim to lessen the goalscoring burden on the shoulders of Danny Ings in the New Year – the on-loan forward has struggled with injuries in recent seasons and cannot be relied upon fully just yet. The Saints have also missed Dusan Tadic who joined Ajax in the summer and should aim to inject some creativity into the current roster.

One man who would be a wonderful addition is Portimonense forward – Shoya Nakajima. Valued at £13.5m by Transfermarkt, the 24-year-old moved to Portugal permanently in January 2018 after making an instant impact at his new club. During his initial loan spell, Nakajima flourished on the right wing, scoring ten goals and registering ten assists during his 29 league appearances.

Yet again, the Japan international has been in fine form for his side. Nakajima has already found the back of the net five times as well as creating five goals for his team-mates. A winger blessed with frightening pace, his arrival at St. Marys would help fill the creative void left by Tadic’s departure. Comfortable on either foot, the forward would be a nightmare for Premier League defences to deal with.

Reportedly available for around £15m – this move would prove to be an absolute bargain.

Southampton fans, thoughts?