After his appointment as the manager of Southampton in December following the exit of Mark Hughes, Ralph Hasenhuttl has done a remarkable job at the helm.
He has pulled the club out of the relegation zone in the Premier League and has taken some massive and bold decisions so far in his reign at St. Mary’s Stadium.
Southampton are now 16th in the league standings, having collected 23 points from 24 games and are 4 points above the drop zone.
Hasenhuttl allowed big-earners Wesley Hoedt, Cedric Soares and Manolo Gabbiadini to leave the club this month and Charlie Austin could also be on his way out.
The exit of Soares to Inter Milan, however, has depleted the quality in Southampton’s armoury with respect to the right-back position and they do need reinforcements.
According to a report by The Sun, Southampton are ready to roll out £4.5m to sign Olympiacos full-back Omar Elabdellaoui in the final hours of the ongoing transfer window to beef up their squad.
Omar Elabdellaoui: Profile
Elabdellaoui emerged through the youth ranks of Manchester City but couldn’t pave his way into their senior side owing to the intense competition in the ranks of the Sky Blues.
While he was on their books, he was shipped out on loan to Stromsgodset, Feyenoord and Eintracht Braunschweig before he switched to Braunschweig permanently.
In the January transfer window of 2014, he moved to the ranks of Olympiacos. He has started 16 Super League games so far this term, managing to score a couple of goals.
Elabdellaoui had also plied his trade for Hull City during the second half of 2016-17 season while he was on loan from Olympiacos and the stint will surely have added to his overall growth as a player.
Apart from club level football, the full-back has also featured regularly for the Norway national side after his debut in August 2013 against Sweden.
What will he add to Southampton?
Elabdellaoui is an all-action full-back, renowned for his pace and athleticism. He is a versatile player as he has the know-how of operating as a right-back as well as a right-sided midfielder.
The 27-year-old does not shy away from taking a pop at goal and his positive style of play will also help the Saints as they enter the most crucial phase of the season.
Hasenhuttl only has 19-year-old Yan Valery at his disposal for the right-back position and it would be a no-brainer for Southampton to try and add a proven full-back like Elabdellaoui to their artillery.