Tonda Eckert could land Southampton’s next Toby Alderweireld with late David Affengruber move | OneFootball

Taylor Harwood-Bellis will join Aston Villa, a late-window setback that leaves Tonda Eckert wanting another centre-back before the September deadline, according to Sainstmarching.com. The former Manchester City defender has been left out of recent Southampton line-ups and is returning to the Premier League under Unai Emery.

Keven Schlotterbeck stepped in against Millwall and looked composed on his St Mary’s debut. Even so, Southampton are pushing to sign Elche centre-back David Affengruber for around £8.5m to £10m.

Toby Alderweireld set the benchmark in 2014, joining on loan from Atletico Madrid after Luke Shaw and Dejan Lovren departed. He kept five clean sheets in his first seven league games and scored in a 3-1 win over Crystal Palace. He then left for Tottenham Hotspur, with Matt Le Tissier calling him one of the best centre-backs he had seen at Southampton.

Affengruber stood out in La Liga last season as a confident passer, averaging 87% pass accuracy, so he could fill a Harwood-Bellis-style role. He has also been winning more than five duels per match on average.

One standout display brought 11 tackles and duels in a 2-2 draw with Real Madrid, when he coped with Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham. Former coach Éder Sarabia praised his season and emphasised his character, drive and leadership. If a deal is completed, he will hope to help deliver promotion and, like Alderweireld, play in the Premier League for Southampton.

Source: Sainstmarching.com

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