Mauricio Pochettino is a big fan of ‘amazing’ star Southampton could sign for just £2m

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Mauricio Pochettino, even all the way back to his early Premier League days at Southampton, has always liked himself a swashbuckling full-back.

Luke Shaw was placed among the top-flight’s PFA Young Player of the Year nominees and eventually earned himself a £27 million move to Manchester United after becoming a regular fixture in Mauricio Pochettino’s Saints XI.

On the other flank, the former Southampton boss would pave the way for Nathaniel Clyne to leave the South Coast for Liverpool. The same path Virgil van Dijk and Sadio Mane would later take on their journeys to superstardom.

The Argentine turned Danny Rose, Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier into England internationals at Tottenham Hotspur. Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes – PSG’s Champions League-winning dynamos – both moved to the French capital on Pochettino’s watch.

And while his one and only year at Chelsea proved to be rather underwhelming, both Malo Gusto and Marc Cucurella were two of the successes of that Stamford Bridge stay.

Flash forward to the summer of 2025 and, after Southampton confirmed the departure of Kyle Walker-Peters, the Saints could find a replacement in the shape of Orlando City’s Alex Freeman. A flying full-back Pochettino both knows and, quite clearly, admires.

Mauricio Pochettino is a big fan of Southampton target Alex Freeman

According to The 72, both Southampton and Millwall have taken note of Freeman’s impressive development across the Atlantic.

The Maryland-born 20-year-old represents Orlando City in the MLS. And, as testament to his buccaneering, attack-minded tendencies, Freeman scored four goals from right-back in his first 17 Major League Soccer appearances.

A first competitive appearance for the USA national team this month was Freeman’s reward for an excellent breakout season in Florida. The youngster started in his typical right-sided role as Pochettino’s all-American live-wires exploded out of the gates at the CONCACAF Gold Cup with a 5-0 thrashing of Trinidad and Tobago.

“We have to give credit to the coaching staff in Orlando because they provide the right assessment of the player. It’s amazing, and it’s priceless for us,” Pochettino beamed, Freeman the latest jet-heeled full-back to blossom under his management.

“He is a player that can work and play for us. On his debut, it was important to provide a very specific and simply concept for him to play, to grow and evolve in the direction we expect. We are so happy. The most important thing is that he feels comfortable and, from there, he can start to grow.”

A Southampton side expected to dominate most Championship matches under Will Still next season certainly feels like a stable next step in Alex Freeman’s career. It is believed that a fee of £2 million could be enough to twist Orlando City’s arm. And while the relative glory days of Pochettino feel like lightyears away right now, the Solent is still a go-to destination for young footballers looking for regular first-team football in fertile soil.

Southampton sign Joshua Quarshie but still need a new right-back

Germany youth star Joshua Quarshie became the first Southampton signing of the Still era at the end of May.

The Saints are looking at Manchester City teenager Juma Bah – he played under Igor Juric’s successor at RC Lens – while Sweden midfielder Besfort Zeneli and Colo-Colo winger Lucas Cepeda are under consideration too.

Freeman, by the way, names Denzel Dumfries and Trent Alexander-Arnold amongst his footballing idols. It is certainly no coincidence that the Real Madrid newbie and Inter Milan’s runaway express train are among the most effective attacking full-backs in world football today.

“I coached against him when I was an assistant coach with Red Bull II in MLS NEXT Pro,” Bradley Wright-Phillips tells MLS Soccer of Freeman.

“To me at the time, he looked like a guy who was bigger than everybody else and found it very easy as a result. I didn’t know if that was because of his size or ability but, since stepping up to first-team football, he’s slowly becoming the best player on that Orlando side – which is not easy to do, because they’ve got some very good football players.

“He’s a beast with elite athleticism and strong technical ability. It seems to me he could play in any league in the world.”