Tonda Eckert could have his very own Jan Bednarek at Southampton with this signing
Southampton fans, at the full-time whistle of the 4-1 defeat at the hands of West Ham United in the EFL Cup, would have been enraged at their team's dire defensive performance.
It was too easy for the Hammers at points, with Daniel Peretz misjudging a punch from a corner kick to allow Josh Ajala to open the scoring.
Jack Stephens would also let unnecessary errors seep into his game, again, as he hit a clearance straight at the fortunate youngster in the second half, who made it 2-1 to Nuno Espirito Santo's visitors.
With Millwall coming to town on Saturday as the early frontrunners of the Championship, it will be very interesting to see what defenders Tonda Eckert chooses for this tough contest.
He won't have Jan Bednarek at his fingertips, with the loyal Saints servant departing the St. Mary's ranks in 2025.
He would have likely fared better against the youthful West Ham side than the likes of Stephens managed...
Southampton must miss not having Bednarek around
When thinking about steadfast Southampton servants over recent years, Bednarek's name likely pops up, alongside James Ward-Prowse's, who is set to return to St. Mary's.
The Polish centre-back isn't plotting his own reunion, though, as the 30-year-old is currently a regular at FC Porto in Portugal.
With Southampton's defensive woes as of late, as Taylor Harwood-Bellis remains near the exit door, Eckert would love to have Bednarek at his disposal, as he consistently performed well over 252 games on the South Coast.
Indeed, he would pick up 11 goals and four assists as a useful weapon to have from corner kicks, all while remaining diligent in keeping clean sheets.
He would amass 11 clean sheets during the 2023/24 season under Russell Martin, as promotion up to the Premier League was triumphantly won, away from being more widely known as a top-flight anchor with the Saints.
The now under pressure Leicester City manager would state that he really loved working alongside him, noting that he was "immense" at the back all season long.
Ralph Hasenhuttl, who managed the 30-year-old exclusively in the Premier League, would further wax lyrical, labelling Bednarek as a simple defender who likes to "put out fires" in defences with his solid performances.
Eckert could be about to have his own Bednarek, a year or so on from the 6-foot-2 defender's exit, with this new addition.
Eckert could have his own Bednarek
In the modern age, defenders usually have to be competent with the ball at their feet, while also being dogged in the tackle.
Bednarek sprayed the ball about with ease during the latter stages of his Saints career, with Martin's style of football very possession-oriented, but he was more well-known for being a brute when launching into a tackle or a duel.
Indeed, the previously mentioned 23/24 season saw him win duels aplenty for his team's promotion cause, with one game against Blackburn Rovers seeing him win a valiant eight tackles and duels, all while maintaining an unerring 93% pass accuracy average.
Keven Schlotterbeck will hope he can arrive into the ranks and be known for being so calm and authoritative, as well, having rarely put a foot wrong as a steady presence at Augsburg, before embarking on this new adventure.
He has amassed 152 appearances in the Bundesliga, scoring ten goals and picking up six assists along the way, to match Bednarek's prowess to score an important goal when needed.
The three-time Germany international also enters the ranks off the back of winning an imperious 5.7 duels on average last season in the testing Bundesliga, meaning he should be able to slot into Eckert's starting XI and help Southampton transform into promotion challengers, like the Porto number five did once upon a time.
He is far from being a flashy addition, with Schlotterbeck on the more mature end at 29 years of age, and he's joining for a reasonable £3m.
But, Bednarek would only cost a modest £5m in 2017, and he ended up becoming a reliable mainstay.
