On the latest episode of the TIFO Football Podcast, Joe Devine, Alex Stewart, Seb Stafford-Bloor and George Elek have been discussing some of the ‘sensible transfers’ they feel Manchester United, Southampton and West Brom should be targeting this summer.
One topic of discussion on the podcast was Derby County midfielder Max Bird, as he was suggested as a potential option for Southampton in the summer transfer window. The 19-year-old enjoyed a breakthrough season with Phillip Cocu’s side, making 22 appearances in the Championship, contributing no goals and two assists, which saw him average a 6.69 rating (per WhoScored).
Here’s what Elek had to say about the youngster on the podcast, and why he feels he could be a good addition to Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side:
“Maybe a better stylistic fit, although he is very young, would be Max Bird at Derby. He’s just 19, he’s part of this Derby youth group who beat the Under-19s, beat Dortmund 3-1 back in February, which shows you how strong they are.
“In Bird, you’ve got a player who is very, very similar to [Pierre-Emile] Hojbjerg in terms of being a very capable, progressive passer, being very good at getting around the pitch, being that physical presence as well. If you look at the role he had to play for the second half of the season, he was effectively Wayne Rooney’s two legs as well as being his own.
“He was playing alongside Rooney having to cover so much ground playing almost that exact same six/eight role, and it helps as well that he’s left-footed, so providing that balance alongside [James] Ward-Prowse, I think in that midfield two would suit Hasenhuttl’s play very well – and Cocu’s Derby play this high-pressing continental style; very similar to what Southampton adopt as well.
“He was voted the Derby players’ player of the season. The nature of this Derby side will be to trade players, whilst they will be keen to keep Bird for another season, it wouldn’t be a massive surprise to see him go for the right price. Obviously, there are concerns with him being 19, but Southampton are another club who look to recruit wisely, and he has a really high ceiling and can be sold on for a fair profit down the line, as has been the case with Hojbjerg, so he would be my one that would be the best fit, long-term.”
TIF Thoughts…
Following the sale of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg to Spurs, perhaps Southampton should look to complete a move for the £1.17 million-rated ace this summer, as he could prove to be the Danish international’s long-term replacement.
Would you like to see Southampton make a move for Max Bird?
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Elek clearly thinks that Bird has a lot of potential, so it will be interesting to see if he continues to perform for the Rams in the Championship next season, and whether or not those performances attract the attention of any top-flight clubs such as Southampton.