Southampton’s £3.5m physical upgrade could be a game-changer for Will Still | OneFootball

Saints new signing, Joshua Quarshie, could become one of Southampton's most astute signings in recent history.

One of the highlights of pre-season is getting the opportunity to see new signings up-close and assessing their attributes. When Joshua Quarshie stepped onto the pitch in Southampton's first pre-season friendly at Eastleigh on Saturday, his value to the squad was immediately clear.

At just £3.5m, Joshua Quarshie may prove to be a very astute signing. Although he is just 20-years-old, he stands at six feet and five inches tall. He is strong and quick too. Last season he set the speed record in Bundesliga Two, stopping the clock at 37kmph.

These are assets that the Southampton defence has been lacking for a while and will help Still's men play a high defensive line, and that's something that they were unable to do in the Premier League last season.

Quarshie is Southampton's tallest defender

Southampton's tallest defender, prior to Quarshie's arrival, was want-away German international, Armel Bella-Kotchap. Quarshie dwarfs last season's defensive trio of Jack Stephens, Jan Bednarek, and Taylor Harwood-Bellis.

Saints fans got a glimpse of Quarshie's pace on Saturday. After Still rotated his squad at half-time, Quarshie lined up next to Nathan Wood in the centre of defence. Yukinara Sugawara and Welington came in at right and left back respectively.

Although Quarshie's first touch was to miss-kick a clearance, he made so little contact that he was able to rectify the situation. His key involvement in the game was winning a foot race against Eastleigh's pacy winger Tyrese Shade. To say he won the race easily would perhaps be overstating matters. However, it was clear that the German-Ghanaian had plenty of pace in reserve.

Quarshie will face stiff competition for a place in the first-team

Quarshie will face stiff competition for a place in his manager's Southampton starting eleven despite Still telling reporters at Eastleigh on Saturday that "if you are good enough, you will play" and "it doesn't matter how young you are".

Saints' club captain, Jack Stephens, and Polish international Jan Bednarek are at the head of the queue to start against Wrexham at St Mary's on 9th August. However, with Bednarek reportedly being linked with a move to Turkey and Harwood-Bellis unlikely to be match-fit by then, a place could be up for grabs.

Southampton's young French under-18 international, Joachim Kayi-Sanda, may have something to say about that too. Kayi-Sanda started Saints' final match of last season's campaign against Arsenal and performed very well. On Saturday, at Eastleigh, Kayi-Sanda was given a stern physical test by Eastleigh's experienced centre-forward, Paul McCullum.

Another young player standing between Quarshie and the first-team is Ronnie Edwards. Edwards had an extended break after being on international duty with European under-21 champions, England, and was not involved over the weekend.

Whether Quarshie has to wait or not, he is a massive physical upgrade to last season's defence. He is no doubt seen as a long-term asset and someone that fans will hope becomes a defensive mainstay. His experience in Germany, playing in front of some big crowds at Fortuna Düsseldorf, will help Quarshie to settle more quickly than expected.

Critics could argue that playing Quarshie too soon represents a risk and that he might need some time to adjust to the demands of English football and the EFL Championship in particular.

Quarshie may be young, but he might be good enough already. Perhaps it is Quarshie that Still had in mind when he was talking to reporters at Eastleigh on Saturday. Whatever the future holds for the young German, he is a massive physical upgrade on the players already in the Southampton squad and a sign of the direction that Johannes Spors and Still are heading with recruitment.