There was some interest from Liverpool and there clearly remains some defensive talent at St Mary’s, so why did Vegard Forren decide to move to Southampton in a £4.2 million transfer?
Liverpool are certainly not the Champions League force they once were and the Norwegian international surely would have fancied his chances of getting games at Anfield . The Merseyside club are still competing in the FA Cup and Europa League as well as having Premier League games to contend with, so Forren would have been a welcome addition to the squad.
The 24-year-old took the number 15 shirt and this should be a lesson to club looking to take players on trial. He was offered a trial at Liverpool, but having made 158 appearances for Molde and having 5 international caps to his name he had little to prove. The interest from the Saints was instant and clear; they painted the perfect vision of building their team around young players such as Nathaniel Clyne and Luke Shaw and wanted to take him in straight away.
The idea of a trial is relevant for players who are an unknown quantity and young and hungry to prove themselves, but Forren was playing professional football to a high standard already so you can understand the Liverpool snub.
The defence hasn’t exactly been Southampton’s strong suit this season despite last night’s rare clean sheet. This is not what this transfer is about though as even with there being a new manager at the helm, picking a club that tailors his needs rather than one which offers the most prestige or money is one which means this transfer appears destined for success.
Loic Remy may want to take note when his pay packet is sitting in the Championship next season.
This is a move to a relegation fight for all the right reasons and it would surely not be surprising if it pays dividends?
Comments are closed.