Once Norwich’s relegation was confirmed, Nathan Redmond was one of a handful of players who were expected to be snapped up by Premier League teams. Indeed, this came to pass when he moved to St. Mary’s for a fee just shy of £12m. It was a hefty price to pay for Saints to secure one of England's most promising talents, despite Norwich’s fall into the Championship. At 22 years of age, Saints are also paying for potential in Redmond, but his form in England’s top tier was inconsistent, to say the least.
Seven goals and six assists in 69 Premier League appearances prior to his switch to Saints was a disappointing return. A WhoScored rating of 6.80 was an underwhelming score for the player, who looked as though he would struggle to make the transition from the Championship to the Premier League. In the season the Canaries secured their return to the top-flight of English football, Redmond’s six goals and 12 assists returned a rating of 7.29, further strengthening the argument that Premier League football had perhaps come too soon for Redmond.
Nevertheless, it did not deter Claude Puel from moving for the English attacker in his bid to make an instant impact on the south coast. As has often been the case for Southampton in recent seasons, their star players were poached this summer with Graziano Pelle, Sadio Mane and Victor Wanyama all departing. Ronald Koeman left for pastures new, leaving Saints with another rebuilding job on their hands.
Redmond was the club’s first signing of the summer, with the sole aim of covering for the loss of joint-top scorer Mane (11 league goals). Most of Redmond's career has been spent out on the wing and his arrival certainly raised eyebrows given Puel favoured a 4-3-1-2 formation with Nice last season. However, the Frenchman has already made it clear he wants to convert Redmond into a number 10 or a striker, similarly to how he transformed Hatem Ben Arfa at Nice.
Puel often deployed Ben Arfa behind the strikers, with Valere Germain the rapid frontman to hang on the shoulder of the last defender, though the former also had his spells in attack. Given the new Saints boss is able to call on the creative Dusan Tadic to pull the strings in the final third, utilising Redmond as a striker seems the logical solution, especially if Puel wants to persists with a 4-3-1-2 formation. With that coming to fruition, Redmond was indeed one of the two strikers when the Premier League season got underway on Saturday.
While Saints were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw with Watford at St Mary’s, Redmond was - along with Tadic - the stand out performer. His WhoScored rating (8.03) was better than any Southampton player in the stalemate, with his goal quickly endearing him to supporters. He could easily have had more than one goal in the encounter, with Redmond mustering as many shots as Watford combined (5). That Gomes gained a rating of 8.22, enough to earn a place in WhoScored’s Premier League Team of the Week, highlighted Saints’ dominance in the encounter.
While Saturday may not have been the first time Redmond had played as a striker in the Premier League, it was ultimately the first time he convinced in the role. In central areas, space may be at a premium to strikers, which makes it all the more difficult for wingers who are suddenly shifted inside. Yet, Redmond completed two of his four dribble attempts, which considering he was up against a three-man defence rather than the more familiar two-man centre-back pairing, and one that ultimately sat deep, is a notable achievement.
His ability to create for others was also evident at St. Mary’s with his four key passes at the weekend bettered only by Saints man Tadic (6) and West Brom’s Craig Gardner (5). Had his teammates been more effective in front of goal on Saturday, Saints would have come away with all three points rather than being forced to share the spoils with the Hornets. Nevertheless, Redmond’s performance against Watford gave an insight into his future role under Puel and one that many anticipated on the back of the duo’s respective arrivals.
Given Redmond’s searing pace and a player of Tadic’s ability operating in the number 10 role, if the pair can quickly strike up an understanding, then Saints have a realistic chance of breaking the 60-goal barrier for the first time following their return to the Premier League. While the initial fee certainly raised eyebrows, Saints had money to spend even before Pelle and Mane’s respective exits, which raised over £40m. While it’s difficult to gauge just how effective a season a player will have on the opening game of the campaign alone, Redmond’s Saints debut certainly provides insight into how he will be utilised this term, with a strong showing against Watford a solid platform with which to build upon.
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