According to a recent report from the print edition of The Daily Star (January 8, page 47) (via HITC), Southampton are interested in a move for Ademola Lookman in this month’s transfer window. The 21-year-old currently plays his football at fellow Premier League outfit Everton and has done so since January 2017, although a lack of regular game time under new Toffees manager Marco Silva this season has called his future at the club into question.

And reports suggest that Ralph Hasenhuttl’s Southampton are eyeing up a January move for the £18 million-rated sensation (as per Transfermarkt) in a bid to give him the first team football he isn’t getting at Everton, with a reunion with the new Saints boss potentially what’s needed to get the best out of Lookman once again.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, it was under the guidance of Hasenhuttl at Red Bull Leipzig last season in which the England Under-20 World Cup winner really produced the goods, scoring five goals and laying on four assists in just 11 appearances for the Bundesliga outfit to help them finish sixth in the German top-flight.

In fact, that was arguably the best spell of form Lookman had put together since making the permanent move to Everton at the start of 2017 to underline the huge influence Hasenhuttl had on his game, yet it doesn’t appear to have won over Toffees chief Silva given his lowly amount of game time this season.

The 21-year-old, capped eight times at Under-21 level by England, has started just once in the Premier League for the Toffees this term and has only 11 appearances to his name overall, which is particularly pertinent given the likes of Theo Walcott and Bernard haven’t exactly pulled up any trees ahead of him in the pecking order.

Thus, it seems that a move away would be in Lookman’s best interests, and where better than Southampton under a manager who knows exactly how to get the very best out of him.

Clearly, the Saints are in need of attacking reinforcements this month given they have netted on only 21 occasions in the Premier League so far this season, which coupled with their lowly tally of 37 goals last time round underlines the crucial issue the club have getting the ball in the back of the net.

It’s not through the lack of trying though, with Hasenhuttl’s side sat eighth in the division in terms of chances created this season, but they seemingly don’t possess that extra bit of quality in the final third to turn those opportunities into goals - yet Lookman did just that under the Austrian last season.

And with four assists to his name in that stint at Leipzig as well, the 21-year-old is also a creator as well as a finisher, with his willingness to take opposition defenders on and beat them with his pace and trickery likely to make him a nightmare to play against when he is at his most confident.

And given the job Hasenhuttl did in extracting the best out of Lookman last term, a reunion with the 51-year-old at Southampton might just get the very best out of the 21-year-old once again.

Southampton fans… what do you think? Let us know!