In the wake of Calum Chambers’ summer switch to Arsenal, Nathaniel Clyne enjoyed free reign of the right-back berth under new Southampton manager Ronald Koeman. The Crystal Palace youth product has since established himself as one of the most in-demand full-backs in the league and a top pick on the Fantasy scene.
The Statistics
After starting just 20 league matches in 2013/14 under Mauricio Pochettino, Clyne was afforded a 5.0 starting price in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game.
His Fantasy potential was manifest from the off, in light of a goal and assist within the opening trio of fixtures. Four bonus points and three clean sheets for Southampton in the first five Gameweeks bolstered his appeal and encouraged 630,000 mangers to invest in Clyne prior to Gameweek 6 – in turn causing his value to rise to 5.5. By the end of Gameweek 12, the Saints notched another four shut-outs and Clyne had grabbed his second goal of the campaign, boosting his value up to 5.8.
Notwithstanding Clyne’s paucity of attacking returns (one assist) from there on out, and the fact Southampton registered just six more clean sheets in the matches he started, the England international boasted a hefty 32.5% ownership on the eve of the final Gameweek – more than any defender. Ultimately, Clyne was subject to the highest price rise (0.9) of any Southampton player this term and the third-highest price rise of any player in the league.
Among Southampton’s full roster, only their top scorer, Graziano Pelle (149), recorded a higher total score than Clyne (142) throughout the course of the season. In terms of the league’s full complement of defenders, the Saints defender ranked joint-third (alongside Phil Jagielka) behind the high-powered Chelsea duo of John Terry (177) and Branislav Ivanovic (179).
Clyne’s points per game average (4.1) equalled Ryan Bertrand’s, with his output further aided by a stellar disciplinary record (only four yellow cards) and a decent collection of bonus points – only Jose Fonte (16) chalked up more than his team-mate (15) this term.
The Prospects
Clyne’s current contract at Southampton is due to expire next summer, casting doubt over his future at the Hampshire club amid interest from Manchester United and Chelsea. That being said, manager Ronald Koeman is optmistic that Clyne – who’s recently changed agents – will put pen to paper on a new deal:
“Still confident that he (Clyne) will sign a new contract but I think next week we will know about his situation.”
Even if Clyne elects to renew his contract, there’s the lingering fear that Southampton – given their lack of Champions League football – will lose a selection of their most-prized assets for the second year running, with the likes of midfield stalwart Morgan Schneiderlin already angling for a move away. Clearly, if Saints face another summer of extensive reshuffling, we’ll have to re-evaluate their worth from a Fantasy perspective.
Clyne is destined for a price hike off the back of his eye-catching season, with a cost of around 6.0 looking the likeliest scenario. In that price bracket, investors will expect a significant goal threat yet – despite an early-season flourish – Clyne was unspectacular in that regard, drawing blanks in all but one of his last 23 league starts.
Certainly, at that price, his popularity is bound to take a turn for the worse as we look to cheaper alternatives for our five-man backlines, with West Brom under Tony Pulis sure to be on many a shopping list.
The Saints’ goalkeeper situation is likely to be key to our assessment. With Fraser Forster expected to be sidelined for the first few months of the new campaign, it remains to be seen whether Koeman will dip into the market to strengthen between the posts. If the Saints boss keeps faith in his current back-ups options, one of Kelvin Davis or Paulo Gazzaniga could well be the favoured route into the Southampton backline until Forster is fit and available – both stoppers will certainly be cheaper than Koeman’s first-choice defenders.
Much could also depend on Toby Alderweireld’s situation. Southampton have the option to wrap up a transfer from Atletico Madrid but if the Belgian chooses to move elsewhere, the likes of Maya Yoshida could even come into contention at centre-half as a more budget-friendly option.
