Southampton boss Ivan Juric could be set to axe Ronnie Edwards from his squad after a real lack of minutes from the promising defender – with Sheffield Wednesday thought to be keen on the centre-back to boost his development.
Edwards, 21, joined Southampton over the summer under Russell Martin after excelling for Peterborough United, though he’s barely featured for the Saints in all competitions this season. Making just 12 minutes of appearances in the Premier League – coming on late in a 5-1 defeat to Chelsea at the start of the month – alongside just one start in the League Cup means that Edwards is vying for game time – and, as a result, Juric could axe the Englishman as he looks to consider his development going into next season.
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The youngster simply hasn’t played enough this season
The report from The Sheffield Star states that Southampton youngster Edwards has been on Wednesday’s radar – and that the Yorkshire outfit are trying to sign the defender on loan to bolster their backline.
It’s thought that the 21-year-old is highly in demand after being made available for a loan move in January, and the report states that Wednesday are ‘very keen’ to try and get a deal done for the talented young defender.
Ronnie Edwards’ statistics – appearances by team Team Appearances Goals Barnet 5 0 Peterborough United 143 1 Southampton 2 0 England u19 10 0 England u20 13 0
Edwards joined Southampton over the summer, but his inexperience means that he has barely featured for the Saints so far this season – with the England youth international now set to be loaned out in search of regular game time.
Owls boss Danny Rohl has identified Edwards as a top target in an attempt to solidify his defender, and having already had fellow Saints man Shea Charles at Hillsborough this season, that could be used as bargaining power with the Northern Ireland international being hunted by Arsenal, according to reports earlier in the season.
GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Ronnie Edwards has made 150 first-team appearances at club level already in his career.
Saints have struggled defensively this season, with only Wolverhampton Wanderers and Leicester City conceding more goals than them, alongside scoring the least in the division with just 12 strikes to their name.
The likes of Jack Stephens, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Jan Bednarek and Nathan Wood have all featured ahead of Edwards, and a change could be necessary – however, Edwards is a long way down the pecking order and he could get some vital Championship experience in Sheffield before likely playing at the same level next season, if the Saints are unable to turn their form around.
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Statistics courtesy of WhoScored. Correct as of 30-12-24.