‘Would be a naive decision’ – Southampton consider transfer move for Coventry City player: The verdict

This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Southampton are interested in a summer move for Coventry City defender Michael Rose, as per a report from the Sunday Mirror (13/02, p73).

The report states that Burnley are providing the Saints with some divisional competition for the 26-year-old, although, the Clarets’ Premier League status is under threat.

Rose, whose contract at the Coventry Building Society Arena expires in less than 18 months, has played 17 times in the Championship this season, with 12 of those coming from the very start.

Starting his career in Scotland with Aberdeen, Rose joined Ayr United before making his moves out of the border.

Three of our writers here at FLW have shared their thoughts regarding Southampton’s interest in the young defender.

Josh Cole

Although Southampton will be keen to add to their squad in the summer window, a move for Michael Rose would be a naive decision by the club.

Whilst the defender has produced some impressive performances for Coventry in the Championship this season, he has never played in the Premier League during his career and thus may struggle to adapt to life in this division.

Furthermore, when you consider that Southampton are currently able to turn to Mohammed Salisu and Jan Bednarek for inspiration, there is no guarantee that Rose will turn out to be an upgrade on either player.

Keeping this in mind, instead of looking to sign a defender from the Championship, Southampton ought to be looking into the possibility of bolstering their options in this area by making a move for an individual who has a