Who is Josh Mulligan & Could He Be Southampton’s Shea Charles Replacement? | OneFootball

Southampton may already be preparing for life after Shea Charles.

Reports over the weekend linked Saints with Hibernian midfielder Josh Mulligan, while negotiations with Leeds United over Charles continue to gather pace after Southampton rejected an initial £20 million bid.

Journalists Ben Jacobs and Graeme Bailey noted the Saints are the latest club to enquire about Mulligan, as the club seeks midfield reinforcements. But who is he, and could he fill the Saints’ midfield void?

Who is Josh Mulligan?

Mulligan came through the youth academy at Dundee, establishing himself as a first-team regular. He played a key role in Dundee’s 2022/23 promotion push from the Scottish Championship.

The Scotsman made the switch to Hibernian last summer, impressing in his debut season with consistent performances and six league goal contributions, while winning Hibernian’s Young Player of the Year award.

He’s experienced European football at Hibernian, achieving six total appearances in both the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Conference League — where he netted one goal.

At just 23, he has already built a considerable amount of senior experience.

His Style of Play

Speaking to me, Hibernian correspondent John Greechan explained he had initial concerns about Mulligan’s signing.

Despite standing at just 5’9″, Mulligan’s athleticism allows him to dominate duels and cover huge distances across midfield.

Rather than simply breaking up play, Mulligan is a ball-carrying midfielder, ranking in the 91st percentile for progressive carries among Scottish Premiership midfielders.

While primarily a central midfielder, he’s versatile, occasionally filling in at right-wing back. His flexibility would be naturally appealing for promotion-chasing clubs like Southampton, West Ham and Middlesbrough, who have all reportedly expressed interest. Strong depth often leads to a strong campaign across a 46-game Championship season.

Greechan further stressed that Mulligan shouldn’t simply be labelled as just a defensive midfielder.

His ceiling is one of the key reasons for the external noise surrounding him. While his physical attributes are already at a high level, there is still room for improvement. Despite consistent struggles in the air with just 33% successful aerial duels, he ranks first among Cinch Premiership midfielders for accelerations per 90, demonstrating his strength and explosiveness on the ball.

There have even been comparisons made with one of Scotland’s finest midfielders.

It reflects the style of player Mulligan is: aggressive, relentless and difficult to dispossess.

His momentum was halted midway through last season after suffering an ankle injury that required surgery, but Greechan alluded to the possibility that it may have cost him a place on the international stage.

Financially, any move would not be straightforward either. Hibernian signed Mulligan after his Dundee contract expired, paying only a development compensation fee, but they are under little pressure to sell. Last summer, he signed a four-year contract at Easter Road.

Greechan described their position as ‘financially secure’ with no ‘need to sell.’

Shea Charles enjoyed one of his most productive campaigns last season, scoring six goals across all competitions with game-winning strikes against Leicester City, Arsenal and Middlesbrough underlining his knack for delivering in big moments. Yet, he wasn’t a consistent starter, with manager Tonda Eckert often opting for the midfield partnership of Caspar Jander and Flynn Downes.

Whether Mulligan becomes Southampton’s Shea Charles replacement remains to be seen, but the profile certainly fits. Young, athletic, versatile, and still developing, he looks exactly the type of player the Saints and Eckert would target for the midfield.