An update has emerged on Southampton and their plans to strengthen their squad before the end of the summer transfer window…
What's the latest Southampton transfer news?
According to the Bristol Post, the Saints are one of a number of teams eyeing up a swoop to sign Bristol City central defender Zak Vyner as Russell Martin wants to add to his options.
The report claims that Premier League side Luton Town and Scottish giants Glasgow Rangers are also weighing up a move for the English titan.
It states that the 26-year-old ace is now within the final 12 months of his contract at Ashton Gate and has opted against signing the fresh terms that were offered to him by the club earlier this year, which has possibly alerted teams to his potential availability.
How good is Zak Vyner?
The £2.3k-per-week battler is an experienced Championship campaigner who could come in as an upgrade on current Saints defender Lyanco to provide the likes of Jan Bednarek and Jack Stephens with competition for their places.
Vyner has played 159 matches in the second tier throughout his career to date and would come in as someone who can hit the ground running due to his knowledge of the division, rather than arriving from a lower league or foreign country and needing time to adapt.
The Englishman averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.88 across 45 league starts for Bristol City last season and has taken his game to another level this term with an average rating of 7.10 over his first two outings.
Lyanco, on the other hand, averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.81 across 21 Premier League matches last term and recorded a score of 6.7 in his only appearance of the current campaign against Gillingham in the League Cup.
This suggests that Vyner would be an upgrade on the Brazilian dud in terms of the average level of his performances, which is backed up by the underlying numbers.
The Bristol City star made more tackles and interceptions combined per game (3.1) than Lyanco did for the Saints (2.1) and only made one error directly leading to a goal – compared to the former Torino enforcer's two, despite playing 24 fewer games.
Vyner could, therefore, be less of a liability at the back whilst also being able to cut out more opposition attacks with his vital defensive interventions week-in-week-out.
The combative centre-back, who was hailed by manager Nigel Pearson as "improved" last season, could offer more in possession as he has averaged 3.32 progressive passes per 90 over the last 365 days, in comparison to Lyanco's 2.67.
This means that the Robins star could provide more incision with his passing out from the back than the 26-year-old brute by finding his teammates in advanced positions more frequently, which could help the team's build-up as they attempt to break teams down.
There, Vyner could be an upgrade on Lyanco when it comes to his general performance level and his play in and out of possession, which is why this could be a shrewd piece of business from Martin if he is able to get it over the line over the coming weeks.
