Premier League side Southampton are reportedly ready to hand Ryan Bertrand a new contract amidst interest from Leicester City.
The Daily Mail recently reported that the Foxes see Bertrand as a potential replacement for Ben Chilwell. The report states that Brendan Rodgers is ‘growing increasingly resigned’ to losing Chilwell to Chelsea and Bertrand is currently ‘high’ on the club’s list of replacements for the England international.
Does Bertrand deserve a new Southampton contract?
Absolutely
No, he should be sold
But the Saints are now ready to respond by trying to hand Bertrand a new contract, with the defender’s current deal at St. Mary’s set to run out in the summer of 2021. The south coast club is ‘keen’ to extend Bertrand’s stay, despite the player potentially seeing Leicester as a ‘dilemma’ because they could offer Champions League football next season.
Bertrand was previously at Chelsea and Rodgers used to be a youth coach during his time with the club’s academy at Stamford Bridge. The full-back would again link up with Rodgers as he spent a year on loan at Reading in the 2009/10 season.
TIF Thoughts…
This season, Bertrand has made 27 appearances in all competitions for the Saints. In the Premier League, he has played 24 games and has a goal and an assist to his name (via Transfermarkt).
The defender has racked up a WhoScored rating of 6.54/10 and that is the 14th-best total in the Saints squad. This may suggest that he hasn’t had the best of campaigns. Since his deal runs out at the end of next season and he’s already 30, keeping him at the club longer might not be worthwhile for the Saints – so if a good bid from Leicester does come in, Southampton should accept it.