Charlie Austin at Southampton — an enthralling reality
Last Saturday, some exciting Southampton-related news emerged, in the dark, bearded, 26-year-old form of Charlie Austin. It was almost a completely unexplored possibility that Ronald Koeman would be pinning sights on the ex-Queens Park Rangers talisman, but the contract-penning of the new number 28 might just be what Saints need in order to boost their Premier League status once more.
Since the beginning of the season, Koeman’s enlightening Southampton team seemed to plummet from the gleeful heights of their achievements of the last campaign, to the uncomfortable table middle ground. The team has been grappling with dismal defeats, unfortunate draws and a few odd wins since August, and has lacked the flair they possessed so grandiosely after Dutch boss, Ronald Koeman, took charge. Although Southampton had done fairly well under the wing of now-Tottenham Hotspur manager, Mauricio Pochettino, Koeman’s sudden revitalisation was a revolution at St. Mary’s back in 2014.
Vigour and determination hasn’t been in short supply, but resolute defending and a decent follow-through to goal has. Usual attacking suspects, Graziano Pellè and Sadio Mané, have been forceful with the ball (especially the latter), but have excelled in scuffing their final touches and relinquishing their chances for goals time and time again. This has been both perplexing and unsettling for fans, despite Shane Long and Steven Davis both tipping toes into the scoring waters. So, it is hardly surprising that Koeman headhunted a player of such calibre.
From 2013, Charlie Austin had donned a QPR shirt, and had experience of playing in both the Championship and, more notably, the Premier League for the side. His real rise to fame last season derived from his buoyance and ability to spring some seriously flawless goals into the back of the net. In 35 division appearances throughout the 2014/15 stint, Austin tallied a rather whopping 18 goals, which undoubtedly etched his name into the minds of scrupulous pundits and Premier League viewers.
Although Austin spent some time under Harry Redknapp, a nuisance that many previous also endured among the older Southampton faithful, the club can offer him an insight into how a really clever, tactical manager operates. What the squad might not yet be able to offer is unrivalled confidence in the rest of the team; Southampton aren’t prone to many victories currently, but that’s rather what Austin could instead offer the rest of the team. Some newly instilled hope would be fabulous.
It seems to have been speculated that, since Austin has been shunted down the list of upcoming talent to perform in Euro 2016, he has hailed his transfer to Southampton a “no-brainer”, which had no bearing on national tournaments. According to an interview with Sports Bar (via TalkSport), Austin is just wanting to “get [his] feet in the door at Southampton”. Recognising Koeman’s club as one to relish playing for is certainly going to stand him in good stead.
The £4 million signing of Charlie Austin is not only a good thing for Southampton, but is also a convenient bid to keep the club focused on grassroots players where possible; this is a concern much waved around in English football, as the national campaigns are never usually particularly victorious, given that the better players in the country are more suited to gelling with international stars. Southampton chairman, Ralph Krueger, spoke out about this.
So, the new 28 is a very welcome sighting for regular St. Mary’s goers and Premier League fans alike. It is exciting to see that Saints are being so proactive in their attack to improving their table position, and one can acknowledge that it’s easy to earmark Charlie Austin as the main man to help.
