Southampton’s recent home defeat against lowly League Two outfit Grimsby Town encapsulated the downward trajectory that has caused a detrimental slump into the obscurity of the Premier League relegation zone.
Granted, the chastening home loss was in the FA Cup, and not a direct hinderance to the league campaign, but with so little swinging in the south coast club’s favour, it has hardly boosted the stricken confidence of the collective fold.
One shining light that can be salvaged from the wreckage comes in the form of the club’s prestigious youth academy, with touted young forward Dom Ballard taking to the pitch in the closing stages to try, fruitlessly, to restore parity.
Ballard is the ostensible creme de la creme of the formative band at St Mary’s, with The Athletic’s Jacob Tanswell remarking pensively: “Thought he came on with purpose, played with intensity and was direct. One positive, I like to think.”
But his buoying cameo speaks volumes, and the aspiring talents at Staplewood must now push for spots in the team over the next few months, with right-back Zuriel Otseh-Taiwo among those most deserving of an opportunity.
Should Selles hand Otseh-Taiwo a chance?
Signing his first professional contract with the Saints in the summer of 2021, Otseh-Taiwo was regarded highly right from the off, with the official website saying: “Otseh-Taiwo particularly impressed within the B-team set-up towards the latter end of last season, becoming a regular in Horseman’s back four and making 28 appearances across both age groups.”
Having made 40 appearances for the club’s B team and a further 27 outings for the U21 side, Otseh-Taiwo is something of a veteran among the youth ranks at Staplewood, and now might be the time to unleash the starlet among his withered senior peers.
Hailed by journalist Benjy Nurick for his “creativity”, the 19-year-old could be a perfect stand-in for the likes of Kyle Walker-Peters; while immensely talented, Walker-Peters has only created two big chances in the league this season, recording an average of 0.6 key passes per outing, as per Sofascore.
The youth prospect, in retrospect, has landed an assist from just three starts in the Premier League 2 this campaign, and might indeed provide a dynamic new dimension to his outfit, who certainly need a sliver of ingenuity to ascend from the pit of the Premier League table.
Otseh-Taiwo has also boasted his positional fluidity with an appearance at left-back this season, which only enriches the argument that he should find a place in Selles’ system.
The youngster was also part of a team that got hailed for a “five-star display” earlier this season, with the robust defender scoring just five minutes after half-time.
Pushing the 19-year-old into a senior starting berth would be a bold move indeed, but there is evidently abundant quality in this Southampton youth system, and with his inclusion, Saints might have another cog to whir the side back toward success.
