Southampton must beat Leicester City to sign Man City ace to solve glaring issue for Will Still

Add as preferred source on Google

Southampton and Leicester City are both reportedly targeting a high-profile Premier League talent ahead of the January transfer window.

Southampton have suffered two defeats in a row in just a matter of days to see their barren start under Will Still continue.

At the weekend, Hull City beat Southampton 3-1 to leave the Saints just one point above the Championship relegation zone.

Following that, Liverpool beat Southampton 2-1 on Tuesday evening in the Carabao Cup third round affair.

A potential answer for Still’s woes at Southampton is reportedly a Manchester City figure, but their league rivals Leicester may be an issue.

• READ MORE: Barry Bannan explains demand for Dejphon Chansiri amid Sheffield Wednesday crisis

Southampton and Leicester City eye loan move for James Trafford

Goalkeeper James Trafford was in incredible form for Burnley last season, with the England youth star keeping a staggering 29 clean sheets in 45 Championship outings under Scott Parker.

Following their promotion to the Premier League, Trafford left the Clarets for Manchester City in the summer window for a reported £31m deal.

However, his big-money move to the Etihad has not gone to plan for the 22-year-old, with a high-profile mistake coming in the 2-0 loss to Spurs last month before the arrival of former PSG star Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Therefore, TEAMtalk report that “several Premier League and Championship clubs are monitoring the situation, with Southampton and Leicester touted as potential destinations” regarding a January loan move for Trafford.

Following Aaron Ramsdale’s loan to Newcastle United, Still has made Gavin Bazunu his Southampton number one goalkeeper, with veteran Alex McCarthy as backup.

However, Bazunu is struggling for form at Southampton and has conceded more goals (nine) than he has made saves (six) so far in the Championship.

With McCarthy aged 35 and Bazunu on a lacklustre run, Still and the Saints’ transfer team must beat the Foxes to sign the City starlet on loan.

• READ MORE: Hull City ace Ryan Giles proves Middlesbrough fans and Rob Edwards wrong with stunning stats

Stats show James Trafford would be an upgrade on Gavin Bazunu

Bazunu’s struggles at the start of the season have mirrored Southampton’s barren beginning under Still.

With the litany of attacking talent in the Southampton ranks, it feels inevitable that their attacking play will click sooner rather than later.

However, with Still desperate to stop conceding soft goals, the same can’t be said for the Southampton defence.

Although there is an admittedly small sample size, Trafford has made more saves and conceded far fewer goals in the top flight than Bazunu has in the Championship.

The most glaring issue regarding the Ireland international’s form is his measly 47.1% save percentage, and the January loan signing of Trafford could be the remedy Southampton need to stop shipping goals.

Trafford is set to start for Man City tonight (Wednesday, September 24) against League One outfit Huddersfield Town in the Carabao Cup third round clash.