Southampton FC questioned for big Gavin Bazunu, Stoke City decision as 'gamble' claim made | OneFootball

FLW’s Southampton fan pundit has commented on Gavin Bazunu’s developing loan exit to Stoke City.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Despite appearing to be resurrected under the guidance of Tonda Eckert, Southampton have been rocked by a recent poor run of results in the Championship.

The German was appointed into the Saints dugout after a run of four wins from his opening five games in interim charge, and after being given the reins on a full-time basis, also secured back-to-back victories against Birmingham City and West Brom.

But in recent times, the Saints have slumped into the form that saw Will Still relieved of his duties earlier on in the campaign, with the South Coast outfit failing to secure a victory in their last six second-tier outings, while a 4-0 thumping defeat away at Middlesbrough in their last league game has done little to inspire confidence that they can push themselves into the promotion conversation.

With inconsistency cropping up in the Southampton camp from both a performance and results perspective, Eckert needs to find a solution quickly if the Saints are going to rise up the Championship table and secure a play-off place by May, as the games continue to arrive thick and fast over the winter period.

The January transfer window could be a defining period for the Saints’ season though, as they aim to bolster some key departments in order to get themselves back up the standings.

So far, the major changes have been between the sticks, with Daniel Peretz arriving on the South Coast from Bayern Munich on loan, while the Saints have sanctioned the loan exit of Gavin Bazunu to second-tier rivals Stoke City, with the Potters holding an option to buy at the end of the term.

With this deal wrapped up, FLW’s Southampton fan pundit has given his thoughts on Bazunu’s exit and whether it is the right decision.

Southampton taking a “gamble” with Gavin Bazunu exit

Speaking to Football League World, Southampton fan pundit Martin Sanders believes the Saints are taking a “gamble” by allowing Gavin Bazunu to leave the club, particularly when new signing Daniel Peretz is inexperienced at Championship level and the soon out-of-contract Alex McCarthy is the back-up choice.

Martin told FLW: “Thinking about the Bazunu situation, it’s a bit of a gamble isn’t it? Because the guy that has come in, Daniel Peretz, what happens if he’s not very good? That’s the big thing.

“I’m sure he will be good, but what happens if he gets an injury really early, and they’ve let Bazunu go? It’ll be Alex McCarthy, and he’s out of contract at the end of the season, so I think the whole goalkeeping department at Southampton needs a massive overhaul.

“A lot of Southampton fans were down on Bazunu, he took a lot of flack, but at the end of the day, he’s been in front of a defence who have not been very good.

“We had over 37 crosses by a League One team against us at the weekend. That’s a lot of crosses in the box, and inevitably, if someone is getting a head on it, it’s going to create a lot of chances, so it’s not all on the goalkeeper, it’s a collective as well.

“His statistics are not great. Statistically, Bazunu is not great, but is that more of a team thing?

“I’ll be interested to see what he does at Stoke. I bet you he goes and does a lot better with a more solid defence there, and he could quite easily be in a side that is right in the mix for the play-offs, more so than probably we will be.”

Southampton, Gavin Bazunu sale decision is questionable

From the outside looking in, you have to question Southampton’s decision to sell one of their first-team assets in Gavin Bazunu to a Championship rival, particularly when Stoke City are in grave need of help.

Stoke are just seven points above the Saints in the second-tier table, so giving them a helping hand during the second half of the campaign is an interesting decision to make from the hierarchy, and it could come back to bite them if the shot-stopper goes on to thrive under Mark Robins at the Bet365 Stadium.

There is also understandable concerns when it comes to Daniel Peretz too, with the Bayern Munich loanee untested at Championship level and will have to hit the ground running in order to show that the decision to sell Bazunu is the correct one.

Having someone of Bazunu’s experience would have been handy to call upon as a number two should Peretz get an injury so soon into his Saints career, but instead they will be having Alex McCarthy to deputise, and you may have to question his motivation to get back in and impress given he is likely to leave the club on a free at the end of the campaign regardless of how he performs.

For Southampton to have any chance of success this season, they have to possess a reliable and consistent performer in goal, but the club is playing with fire with this decision by changing the shot-stopper half-way through a season where they are nip and tuck to have a chance at promotion back to the big time.