Southampton supporters will be starting to get a little tetchy about their side’s chances of beating the drop, even with the Premier League season only five games in.
Russell Martin‘s Saints are yet to pick up a win in the testing division, but it could’ve been oh-so different last weekend after promising Southampton youth product Tyler Dibling opened the scoring against another relegation-threatened outfit in Ipswich Town.
However, Sam Morsy for the away side would have other ideas late on and delivered a sucker punch right at the death to deny Martin’s men an elusive three points.
At least the South Coast side managed to pick up a draw in this contest, with a recent 3-0 defeat to Manchester United at St Mary’s still a sore scoreline to stomach, as Jack Stephens really struggled defensively against Erik ten Hag’s Red Devils.
Stephens’ performances this season
Recognised as a well-thought-of servant at Southampton, with 185 games for the Saints now under his belt and the captain’s armband on his sleeve, Stephens still hasn’t been able to cope with the step-up in quality so far.
He was notably poor against Man United, with the experienced 30-year-old even sent off late on in the one-sided affair after this poorly-timed tackle stopped Alejandro Garnacho in his tracks.
Daily Mail journalist Nathan Salt would dish out a 3/10 match rating to Stephens after this early bath, with the lacklustre centre-back not helping his side whatsoever after his dismissal, as Garnacho then ended up shaking off the cynical tackle with a late strike to make it 3-0 on the day.
Struggling away at Brentford the game prior too, with only one duel won from five attempted as Thomas Frank’s Brentford put Stephens’ side to the sword 3-1, the dismissal against United has at least given Martin food for thought as to who could replace the Saints captain moving forward.
Tyler Harwood-Bellis came into the side in Stephens’ place against Ipswich and looked solid – with 50 accurate passes tallied up playing out from defence – as the 30-year-old now worries about his standing in the main Saints lineup moving forward.
Stephens’ wage at Southampton
The defender’s excessive wage also doesn’t help his cause, with Stephens raking in more than both Yukinari Sugawara and Ben Brereton-Diaz in the current Saints camp – as per Capology – despite the duo both joining as bold signings just this summer.
Sugawara has also fitted in seamlessly at Southampton so far, with his strike against Brentford actually breaking his team’s goalscoring duck in the top division. That said, he still finds himself earning less per week compared next to Stephens’ pay packet.
According to Capology, Stephens earns £45k-per-week compared to the Japanese gem’s £40k-per-week wage, with Ben Brereton-Diaz earning even less than the new standout Saints defender himsef at £35k-per-week.
|
Top five highest earners at Southampton – 24/25 |
|
|---|---|
|
1. Aaron Ramsdale |
£120k-per-week |
|
2. Joe Aribo |
£70k-per-week |
|
3. Maxwel Cornet |
£65k-per-week |
|
4. Adam Armstrong |
£60k-per-week |
|
5. Jan Bednarek |
£60k-per-week |
|
Sourced by Capology |
|
Stephens is only £15k-per-week off entering the top five highest earners at Southampton, with his recent suspension exposing the fact his hefty take home might not be warranted.
With Brereton-Diaz, there will be a hope that he does improve for the Saints moving forward away from Stephens’ woes, as the former Sheffield United man did fire home six goals last season in the division for the Blades.
Back to Stephens, however, and Martin will need to have a frank talk with the experienced defender soon about his future on the South Coast, with his current deal at the Premier League side up next summer.
He could still be important this season as Southampton aim to keep their heads above water in the challenging league, but his performances will have to drastically pick up, after his horror show display against Man United.
