Southampton manager Claude Puel boosted his defensive options earlier this week with the signing of Jeremy Pied from Nice on a free transfer.
The versatile 27-year-old, who is comfortable in either full-back position and in midfield, penned a two-year contract at St Mary’s, and speaking to the club’s official website, explained how Puel’s presence at Southampton was the key reason behind making the move to England:
“It was an important factor because I know him and he knows me. I know that he knows my quality so it’s up to me to repay the faith that he and the club has shown in me out on the pitch. Claude is the manager who gave me my big break in Ligue 1 in France when I was with Lyon, which was an important period in my career. Then we worked together once more at OGC Nice, where I continued my progression and enjoyed a great season last year.”
The History
Born in Grenoble, France, Pied spent his entire youth career at Lyon before moving on loan to Ligue 2 side Metz for the 2009/10 season, where he produced four goals and six assists in 37 league outings.
After returning to Lyon, he made his league debut for the club against Monaco in August 2010, and played a further 24 league matches in the 2010/11 campaign, scoring three goals and laying on as many assists. He struggled for minutes during the 2011/12 season, though, making just 14 league appearances, claiming one goal and an assist.
In August 2012, Pied completed a €3 million move to Nice, and he chalked up 48 league appearances over the following two seasons, scoring once and providing five assists, playing predominantly as a right winger.
Pied spent the 2014/15 campaign on loan to fellow Ligue 1 outfit Guingamp, where he again primarily featured as a winger, helping him register two goals and eight assists in 30 league matches.
He returned to Nice last season, and under the stewardship of Puel, spent the majority of the campaign playing at right-back for pretty much the first time in his career, claiming three assists from 33 league appearances, although it’s worth noting he did pick up 10 yellow cards.
Pied has represented France at Under 19, Under 20 and Under 21 levels, scoring two goals in 19 matches, but has yet to feature for the senior side.
The Prospects
Bearing in mind that Pied having worked with Puel at both Lyon and Nice, he’ll be hoping to nail down a regular starting berth at right-back at the expense of Cedric Soares and Cuco Martina.
Discussing his latest new arrival, the Saints boss reckons that Pied and Soares are very similar in style:
”Jérémy Pied is a good player, in the profile of Cédric Soares, with good technique and good quality of course. He can give assists and he is good in defence.”
Puel has operated with a back four during pre-season, so it’s likely that Ryan Bertrand, Virgil van Dijk and Jose Fonte will all remain regular starters for Saints, although from a Fantasy perspective, the fact they’re all priced at 5.5 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) does diminish their appeal somewhat.
With both Pied and Soares coming in at 5.0 in FPL, and Martina at 4.5, Fantasy managers will be hoping that one of the trio nails down the starting spot at right-back to hand us a cheaper route into the Saints rearguard.
Looking at the underlying statistics of the trio last season, Pied carried a greater attacking threat, registering a shot every 134.1 minutes, compared to every 197.1 minutes for Soares and every 361.3 minutes for Martina. Soares did shine in terms of creativity, though, averaging a key pass every 75.8 minutes, better than both Pied (89.7) and Martina (90.3).
Pied was also the most impressive from a defensive standpoint, averaging a successful tackle every 24.9 minutes, better than both Soares (27.8) and Martina (29.3), and also led the way for interceptions, averaging one every 29 minutes, compared to Soares (36.5) and Martina (45.2).
The former Nice defender looks to have the edge statistically, then, but with just over a week to go until the start of the season, we’re unlikely to know Puel’s first-choice until he names his side to face Watford in Gameweek 1.
There’s also the fact Southampton will have to juggle their domestic campaign with the Europa League this season, so Puel may choose to rotate at right-back, depriving us of a budget-friendly St Mary’s defender.
The uncertainty is unfortunate from a Fantasy perspective given Saints have three favourable home fixtures (WAT, SUN, SWA) during the opening five Gameweeks, while they’ve only conceded once in their four pre-season matches thus far.
At this stage then, it’s hard to look past Van Dijk as the strongest option from the Southampton backline, given his ability to provide Fantasy points at either end of the pitch and propensity for collecting bonus points.
The right-back berth is clearly worth monitoring, though. Pied’s history of playing as a winger means he’s comfortable in the final third, whilst a familiarity with Puel’s approach could yet see him emerge as a viable option for our five-man backlines.
