Mauricio Pochettino made his first signing of the summer transfer window on Friday by acquiring Dejan Lovren from French outfit Lyon for a fee believed to be in the region of £8.5m. The Croatian international centre-half arrives at St Mary’s on a four-year deal and was reported to have been on the radar of a number of European clubs, with the likes of Tottenham and Inter both rumoured to have shown interest:
Although the Saints boss, along with chairman Nicola Cortese, is working on a number of deals, strengthening his defence was a priority and the Argentine has snapped up Lovren with more than a couple of weeks until pre-season training gets underway. Speaking to the club’s official website, the new boy went on to say:
“I’ve spoken a lot with the Chairman and the coach, and this is a great project. They told me a lot of positive things, and I know the history of the Club. It’s a big club and I’m very happy that I can be a part of it. After three-and-a-half years in France, it was a dream to play in the Premier League. Now the dream has come true. I have it in my mind to do something big, and I see the same thing in the Club. We are a young team, and I am a young player also so I hope I will stay here for a long time.”
The History
A product of the NK Karlovac youth set-up, Lovren was signed by Dinamo Zagreb in 2004. He made his senior debut as a 16-year-old a couple of years later before being loaned out to Croatian club Inter Zaprešić – over back-to-back seasons, he became a first-team regular and scored once over 50 league appearances.
Returning to his parent club for the start of the 2008/09 campaign, Lovren racked up 36 appearances over the next season-and-a-half before being acquired by Lyon midway through the 2009-10 campaign for around €8 million. Over his four years with the Ligue 1 outfit, Lovren gradually established himself as a key figure at the back and registered two goals and a pair of assists over 72 appearances. Last term in particular, though, he had a tendency to fall foul of the referees and was sent off three times – one more than the entire Southampton side over 2012/13.
Lovren has represented his country from Under 17 to Under 21 level on a total of 55 occasions, scoring six times. The centre-half has also notched twice in 17 appearances for the senior side, most recently in a World Cup qualifier against Wales last March.
The Prospects
While he’s versatile enough to also be fielded in either full-back berth, Lovren looks set to be installed at the heart of the Southampton defence in Pochettino’s first full term in charge. His all-round game has been the subject of much praise, with even Barcelona linked with a possible bid last term – comfortable enough in possession to bring the ball out from the back, Lovren’s impressive distribution, excellent reading of the game and strong aerial presence is set to considerably bolster the Saints’ backline.
Given that only four clubs conceded more than Southampton’s 60 goals against over the course of the previous campaign, it seems likely that their main protagonists will remain in the budget bracket across the Fantasy games. Nathaniel Clyne and Luke Shaw both started last season at 4.0 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) and look set for a small rise to 4.5 – Lovren is likely to come in at the same cost unless Fantasy games are swayed by his big-money move. Unless Pochettino plans further defensive reinforcements, a partnership with Maya Yoshida looks likely and if he can replicate his international scoring form, could be a real budget option for the season ahead.
Furthermore, while their overall record at the back was poor, analysis of the Saints’ last few matches bodes well for their defensive potential next time round. After finally becoming accustomed to Pochettino’s high pressing game following his January arrival, Southampton conceded just nine goals in the final 10 Gameweeks, with their opponents scoring more than a single goal in just one of those matches – a 3-0 home defeat at the hands of West Brom after the hosts were reduced to nine men early on.
Having tightened up at the back as time progressed under Pochettino, then, the Saints’ prospects will only be boosted by Lovren’s arrival. Ironically, though, while his installation could help bring more defensive points Southampton’s way, it may well be that Clyne and Shaw will be the real beneficiaries next time round, with their advanced presence on the flanks supplementing attacking moves from deep. Certainly, Lovren’s international record indicates his eye for goal, though he’ll need to keep his discipline in check in order to possibly thrive.
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