MY ACCOUNT
Southampton’s impending relegation to the Championship looks set to spark a bidding war for their young starlet Romeo Lavia.
The 19-year-old midfielder’s displays since joining from Manchester City last summer have been a rare positive in an otherwise miserable campaign for the Saints.
Ruben Selles’ men currently sit six points adrift of safety with four games to play and know they must beat fellow strugglers Nottingham Forest tonight to have any chance of survival.
Ahead of that huge clash at the City Ground, we look at what the future holds for the Belgian teen.
Bargain buy
Much has been made of Southampton’s high-risk transfer policy of signing young players last summer but Lavia is undoubtedly one of the success stories.
The talented midfielder was one of four recruits from City’s academy alongside goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu, winger Samuel Edozie and left-back Juan Larios.
Signed for £14million, it looks to be money well spent with the youngster starting 22 of the 25 Premier League games he has been available for.
While he has been unable to halt Saints’ slide down the table during a disjointed season under Ralph Hasenhuttl, Nathan Jones and Selles, plenty of plaudits have come his way.
Strings to his bow
Lavia made headlines with his stunning strike against Chelsea last August but while that remains his only goal or assist, there are plenty of other areas in which he has impressed.
Featuring in the double-midfield pivot position alongside James Ward-Prowse, his energy, composure and ball-carrying ability has allowed his side to progress up the field.
The Brussels native’s 52 tackles, 27 interceptions and 102 possession wins in the midfield engine room rank him in the top five for all three metrics among his Southampton team-mates.
What is more, only captain Ward-Prowse (1,480) and defender Mohammed Salisu (837) have completed more passes than Lavia (722).
His 86.36% passing accuracy — the best rate of any Saints player — is made all the more impressive by his penchant for a long, diagonal pass from the base of midfield.
Pep praise
Having won his first senior Belgium cap in March, the Lavia’s exploits have not escaped the attention of his former manager.
Pep Guardiola was full of praise for the ex-Citizens talent ahead of their clash at St Mary’s last month and suggested he would have liked to have kept hold of him at the Etihad.
The City boss said: “I am really impressed with what Romeo has done and is doing.
“We had, and we have, an incredible opinion about him. We thought to keep him but maybe he would not [get] enough minutes like he has in Southampton.”
Reports suggest City have a £40m buy-back clause for the former Anderlecht starlet but it does not become active until 2024, increasing the likelihood of fierce competition for him this summer.
Transfer interest
Lavia appears certain to be playing Premier League football next season regardless of whether Southampton can secure an unlikely great escape.
The likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool have been credited with an interest in him alongside a potential switch back to City.
His lack of goals and assists output will likely have to improve if he is to be a success at any of those big guns.
But Lavia has shown more than enough ability to suggest that a year of elite coaching at one of those sides could help him blossom into an exceptional top-flight player.
Focus will be on helping stop his current club’s plight before the battle to land his signature intensifies over the coming weeks.
