x

Does Kamaldeen Sulemana Have A Part To Play In Southampton's Season

Kamaldeen Sulemana came to life in the final game of the Premier League season for Saints, two goals and a spectacular somersault celebration finally announced his arrival at St Mary's , four months after joining, but then complete silence.

One of the big questions in the summer transfer window for Saints supporters was whether Kamaldeen Sulemana would stay or go, there was no sign of him in any of the pre season friendlies and more to the point no real updates on whether he was injured or otherwise.

Indeed up until the final week or so of the window, there was little talk of any club's really being interested in him, presumably shy of paying not only the £25 million that Southampton wanted to get their money back on their January investment or of paying his wages.

Everton were rumoured to be after him, but that fell though with little real fanfare.

So now the big question is whether the Ghanian is ready and willing to knuckle down and help Saints get back into the Premier League.

Russell Martin has spoken to The Daily Echo about his first sightings of Sulemana.

"I'm really excited to try and get Kamaldeen back on the pitch as quickly as possible, we only saw him for literally two training sessions and he got injured.

"In one of them I nearly fell over when he was dribbling he was that quick - he’s an exciting talent."

Undoubtably he showed enough in glimpses last season that he can be a real talent, but the question is whether attitude is holding him back, Saints have been coy about his whereabouts since the team returned to training at the start of July, no real mention was made of his injury and he failed to make an appearance pre season.

That led to Southampton supporters asking whether the player was actually injured at all, rumours of a clique in the squad formed by the African contingent did the rounds and talk was that certain players did not want to stay at the club and had been training away from the main squad.

Certainly Sulemana has not been prominent in either his appearances in pictures of training up until a week or so ago, or for that matter in the media.

Undoubtably if he gets his head around the fact that he is in the Championship for the time being and concentrates on improving his game, then he can be a force to be reckoned with, he only showed glimpses last season and only clicked in that final game against Liverpool, but that in many respects was a glorified kick around, now he has the chance to get to grips with the game in England, and toughen himself up physically and mentally, so that when he does get back into the Premier League, this time he makes a true impact.

Nathan Tella is an example, in truth when he went on loan to Burnley a year ago, many were not bothered, here was a player with just the one goal in the Premier League, he too had shown glimpses, but never any real consistency, but the Championship turned him into a different player.

Let's hope that Kamaldeen Sulemana is ready to play for Saints, the club has been right to keep him on a low profile whatever the reason for his absence, but now is the time of reckoning, will he or won't he commit to Southampton, if only for the short term.

What to read next:

Mixed reaction from fans as Aaronson comes back for next season
In a surprise move, Brenden Aaronson has decided to return to Leeds for the 2024/5 season after talks with Daniel Farke. It’s fair to say that some fans are happier about this news than others.
Should they stay or should they go?
Leeds United have issued the retained list for the 2024/5 season, and while much of it confirms what we already know, on the face of it there are a couple of surprises.
Can Red Bull help Leeds to fly back to the top?
Today Leeds announced that Red Bull have bought a minority stake in the club, and will take over as the main shirt sponsor, but thankfully there will be no change in the name of the club or the colour of the shirt.
Marathe admits that PSR is likely to force player sales
The 49ers have plenty of cash available to invest in Leeds United, but defeat in the 49th game of the League season means that some key players will be leaving to keep the club with the Profitability and Sustainability (PSR) regulations.
Play-off jinx continues as Leeds lose to Southampton again
****ing Southampton. Again. ****ing Adam Armstrong. Again. ****ing Play-offs. Again. Grrrrrr.
Leeds United 0 - 1 Southampton - Player Ratings and Reports
If you saw the match, please give us your player ratings and a mini match report.
Wembley Awaydaze
As you probably know already, our play-off final against with Southampton kicks off at 3pm on Sunday. And if you didn’t manage to get your hands on a ticket, it’s live on Sky Sports.
Leeds crush Norwich to cruise through to play-off final
With our recent form being what it was, I was expecting a nervy encounter, with Leeds struggling to get through the Norwich City defence, but how wrong I was! Suddenly we recovered the swagger we have shown for much of the season, and not a moment too soon.
Farke happy with the result after bore draw at Norwich
Many neutrals have complained on social media that yesterday’s game at Norwich City was a bit on the dull side, but the Leeds team wasn't set up to please them. For us it was the result that mattered, and it should leave us in a better position to get through to the final.
Norwich Awaydaze
For the second time this season we are visiting Norwich City, this time for the play-off game at high noon on Sunday, and the kick-off time is of course thanks to our good friends at Sky Sports. You’ll find Carrow Road is about a mile to the south-east of the city centre.