Joshua Quarshie has ‘outstanding ability’ which could make him Southampton’s next Virgil van Dijk

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There were two words which leapt off the page when Southampton confirmed the £3.5 million signing of former Hoffenheim starlet Joshua Quarshie towards the end of May.

One being ‘pace’, preceded by ‘explosive’.

For context, Southampton winger Kamaldeen Sulemana was clocked as the quickest player at the 2022 Qatar World Cup. Sulemana reached speeds of 35.7 kilometres per hour in action for Ghana.

Joshua Quarshie, though, hit 37.04 during his loan spell at Greuther Furth last season in Germany’s second tier.

Taking into account the numbers provided by Zonal Sports as recently as May, this sees the St Mary’s newbie ranked as the sixth fastest active footballer in the game right now, behind only Alphonso Davies, Kylian Mbappe, Kyle Walker, Micky van de Ven and Frankfurt’s jet-heeled teenage Jean-Matteo Bahoya.

No wonder technical director Johannes Spors, speaking during Quarshie’s unveiling as the first Southampton signing of the summer transfer window, was keen to highlight the ‘outstanding athleticism’ the Germany Under-20 international brings to the table.

Southampton land one of Europe’s fastest players in Joshua Quarshie

Quarshie only played 20 matches in the 2.Bundesliga on loan from Hoffenheim last season, initially with Fortuna Dusseldorf before heading to Greuther Furth in the winter.

That, however, was enough to catapult the one-time Schalke starlet onto Southampton’s summer plans. If The Saints are hoping to recapture old glory days, when the best young talent frequently graduated from the feted St Mary’s finishing school, Quarshie enrolment may be a step in the right direction.

“With his athleticism and robustness, he already brings many of the qualities we’re looking for in a central defender,” Stephan Furstner, Greuther Furth’s sporting director, said following the 20-year-old’s arrival last summer.

Christian Weber, who helped bring Quarshie to Fortuna Dusseldorf, also highlighted his ‘outstanding athletic ability’. That searing pace, coupled with a 6ft 5in frame and an innate confidence with the ball at his feet, Weber said, means he has ‘all the prerequisites to develop into a very good centre-back’.

Germany youth star Quarshie idolises Liverpool hero Virgil van Dijk

If Virgil van Dijk is the most complete centre-half in the modern game, and the finest example of Southampton’s once-renowned youth development system, then Quarshie would be a fitting posterboy of the club’s next generation provided he can follow in his idol’s footsteps.

Quarshie grew up watching Van Dijk conquer the continent with Liverpool.

Now, a defender with so many of the attributes which earned his hero a chance in the Premier League with Southampton in the first place a decade ago has the ideal opportunity to follow in his footsteps.

“[Moving to St Mary’s] makes me feel very happy because Southampton is a very big club with very good history,” a delighted Quarshie beamed during his unveiling. “From the first second, I felt Southampton is the right club.

“English football is a little bit rough and I like this kind of playing style. With my height and my body, I think I’m in the right spot. Since I was a little kid I was dreaming to play in England and now it’s coming to reality, so I’m very excited to play here.

“I think I’m a very composed player,” he said, describing his playing style,” Quarshie adds, his intelligent, tidy distribution a good fit for a team expected to dominate possession in England’s second tier.

“I don’t do big things on the ball, but I’m very good on the ball at keeping everything simple. I think the main point is my body, my pace, and that’s how I help the team.

“I think we both have the same goal: to get promoted to the Premier League again, and I will try everything I’ve got to help the team with my qualities, and to show the fans what kind of player they’ve got.”