Who is Richmond Boakye? All you must know about Southampton’s new target
Southampton have made a poor start to their Premier League season. They are currently sitting 15th on the table and one of their biggest problems has been a significant lack of goals so far.
Mark Hughes’ men have scored only 6 goals in 7 Premier League matches and 3 of them came via Danny Ings alone. Apart from Ings, who is on a season-long loan from Liverpool, no one else is contributing to the goals. The likes of Shane Long, Charlie Austin, and Manolo Gabbiadini are going through the worst form of their Saints career and the club must look for reinforcements.
To that end, a recent report by The Sun has claimed that Southampton had sent scouts to monitor Richmond Boakye.
Background
Richmond Boakye is a 25-year-old Ghana international, who currently plays for Red Star Belgrade. Boakye began his career with Bechem United in his native country but his impressive performances at youth level earned him a move to Europe.Genoa acted quickly and snapped him up in the summer of 2009. In April 2010, he made his Serie A debut but a lack of minutes for the then 17-year-old forced him to look for a loan move. In 2011, Boakye officially joined Sassuolo on a one-year loan deal. This proved to be a great move for the youngster as he scored 12 goals in 34 appearances but Sassulo just missed out on a promotion that season.
After a series of moves across Italy that didn’t quite work out, including a short spell at Juventus, Boakye arrived at Red Star Belgrade in January 2017. He finally gained top form as he scored 16 goals in 19 appearances for the club.
The striker was then bought by Chinese club Jiangsu Suning in the summer but they loaned him back to Red Star Belgrade to help him continue his development in Europe. Boakye has scored 42 goals in 51 appearances for the Serbian champions so far.
What the future holds
Saints might swoop in for the 25-year-old in the January transfer market (h/t The Sun). Goals were a huge problem for Southampton last season as well and it almost cost them their status as a Premier League club. The likes of Long and Gabbiadini have been at the club for far too long but with little contributions.
Boakye’s potential arrival could freshen up the squad. Also, considering Boakye’s age, he should be able to adapt to the Premier League. And if things work out well, he could partner Ings up front.
By Prashant Tiwari, mediareferee.com
