Southampton could be about to make a move for Borussia Dortmund midfielder Sebastian Rode as Ralph Hasenhuttl continues the revamping of his squad.
The Saints have already signed Moussa Djenepo from Standard Liege and, according to Sport1 (via HITC), they could now turn their attention to bringing in Rode before the start of the new season.
The German outlet reports Dortmund are ready to cash in on Rode, with Southampton’s director of football Ross Wilson said to be keen on adding the 28-year-old, who spent the second half of the last campaign out on loan at Eintracht Frankfurt, to Hasenhuttl’s squad.
With the likes of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, James Ward-Prowse and Mario Lemina to call upon, you could forgive Southampton fans for thinking midfield should not be a priority this summer.
That being said, when looking at Rode’s stats from his time with Eintracht, the 28-year-old looks like he could bring a lot to Hasenhuttl’s side in the middle of the park.
Bar Ward-Prowse (1.8), Rode averaged more key passes per game (1.5) than any other Southampton midfielder last season. With 0.9 dribbles per game, the former Germany U21 international’s ability to carry the ball was also superior compared to most of his counterparts from St. Mary’s, with only Lemina managing to average more (1.1) (as per WhoScored).
When you consider that, Rode could be a really good option for Hasenhuttl this transfer window if he is looking for a midfielder who can both dribble and create chances, potentially helping the club score more goals, having plundered only 45 over the course of the campaign.
Southampton fans, do you think Rode can add something to the team’s midfield? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!
