Jack Stephens Linked With Move To Watford
According to Watford fans social media, the Hornets are said to be chasing a move for Saints central defender Jack Stephens, this could be part of a chain reaction should he leave.
Whilst I have never been the greatest fan of Jack Stephens I have to say I respect him as a good club man and squad player, he has had a role to play at St Mary's and I'm not facetious enough to say something nasty about him in this respect.
So the news that Watford may be coming in for him is good in that if we are willing to let him go then, it would leave us a little short in the central defender department, so you would assume that it would mean that we have incoming before the end of the transfer window.
During his time at St Mary's Jack has started 109 Premier League game in the 5 1/2 years since he made his Premier League debut in January 2017 at the age of 23, but the bulk of these were played in the early part of his time in the first team squad.
He has spent several spells out on loan, the first were at Swindon Town in League one across 1 1/2 seasons, followed by going for a years loan to Middlesbrough in the Championship, this was not successful and he was recalled in the January after making the first team just once in the League.
He then joined Coventry City for the rest of that season (2015/16) in League One.
Since then he has been a regular member of the Saints squad and at times commanded a spot as first choice, he is also versatile able to play in several positions, but ultimately the blunt truth is at Premier League player he is a good squad player.
I would suggest that given his contract and the wages he is being paid at Southampton, that a loan deal is the more likely of the two options and a permanent deal would be out of Watford's wage structure.
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