The rumour mill is saying that former Saints legend Alan Pardew is weighing up signing Jason Puncheon in the summer
Jason Puncheon is out of contract in the summer and the jungle drums are beating uip in Newcastle that Alan Pardew will try and arrange a reunion in the summer with the player whom he signed three years ago for Saints.
Opinion on Jason Puncheon is still divided amongst Saints supporters, there are those that feel he has made a full redemption for his past sins and that he is now a Premiership footballer, there are those that feel that a leopard doesnt change his spots and Puncheon wouldnt be the first player whose form suddenly and drastically improves in the final months of a contract to earn himself either a new deal or a lucrative one elsewhere and there are those that feel whatever the reason, Puncheon on his day has had some good games, but too often there have been indifferent performances, especially away from home or against the better sides at St Mary's.
I must admit Im tending to fall in that latter category, I dont feel that Puncheon isnt trying in some games, I just feel that he isnt up to it when harder work has to be done, granted he was very good against Man City, but then again those who were at Man United or Wigan would have seen a player who was hauled off at half time in both games, I just have a feeling that when the chips are down Jason Puncheon isnt the man that you need and due to our place in the pecking order in this division the chips are likely to be down more often that they are up and in that situation we need a player who is more than a fast track bully.
But more than that if Saints are truly determined to take that next step forward and are willing to pay the oney to do it, as failed bids in the January transfer window indicated, then surely we are looking for a little bit better quality than Jason Puncheon, yes perhaps he has redeemed himself and perhaps he has put in some great displays, but perhaps he has missed his chance at Saints as we move on to bigger things.
I find it strange that Pardew himself would go after Puncheon, again Newcastle have the money, they can go after better players themselves.
Whatever the final outcome of this long running saga, it can only have a positive effect for Saints this season in that the player himself will be upping his game, whether the rewards for doing so see him back at St Mary's as a Saints player next season or plying his trade elsewhere are yet to be seen, but Puncheon himself will know that turning 27 in the summer he has yet to really fulfill his potential and in that case maybe he has turned a corner and grown up at last, certainly at his age he is perhaps now looking at securing the biggest contract of his career.