Nathaniel Clyne Contract Would Represent Great Business for Southampton
Southampton defender Nathaniel Clyne looks set for a new contract amid reported interest from Liverpool, and securing the 23-year-old's future would represent more great business for the club.
According to Sami Mokbel of the Daily Mail, the Saints are set to "offer England's man of the moment Nathaniel Clyne a new deal as part of a contract renewal drive," after the defender received his first international cap.
The report continues that "formal talks over fresh terms are yet to begin, but the Saints intend to show their commitment to Clyne by initiating discussions in the coming weeks."
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Importantly and perhaps unsurprisingly, Mokbel suggests that these talks come "with Liverpool understood to be monitoring his progress."
Clyne is undoubtedly one of the side's top performers this term, helping Ronald Koeman's defence keep seven clean sheets from 11 Premier League games and scoring one goal from right-back.
Despite Southampton's exceptional start to the 2014/15 season, and Liverpool's lowly return so far, it can be argued that a move to Merseyside would be attractive to the defender, with Glen Johnson on the wane and the Reds competing in the Champions League.
Nevertheless Southampton must convince Clyne to sign a new contract, to protect his long-term future or, perhaps cynically, his value.
Nathaniel Clyne's Rise
Making an England debut at the age of 23 may seem quite late now, given the swift introductions of players such as Raheem Sterling, Ross Barkley and John Stones under Roy Hodgson.
But Clyne's rise and ultimate success is based on patience and determination.
Dominic Fifield recently described the defender's journey to the heights of the Premier League for The Guardian:
"There have been setbacks along the way, from rejection by Arsenal as a 10-year-old for being too small to the perceived gamble of leaving Tottenham Hotspur’s academy system for life at his local club, Crystal Palace, in a lower division.
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The move to Palace saw Clyne establish himself as one of the Championship's premier talents, and a 2012 move to Saint Mary's followed.
On the transfer, then-manager Nigel Adkins described Clyne as "a very attack-minded full-back who bombs on," per BBC Sport, but there is a much finer, nuanced element to the 23-year-old's game that sets him apart at the top.
Clyne is a rare example of a modern full-back who values the importance of a defence-first approach, and with these so rare in the Premier League, this is an invaluable quality.
The most successful tackler in the league so far this season, this diligence gifts Southampton balance. However, with Clyne's attacking prowess, the defender is also capable of contributing in the final third.
These attributes were on show as Clyne made his England debut, in the 3-1 European Championships 2016 qualification victory over Slovenia at Wembley, and in the Three Lions' follow-up 3-1 friendly win away to Scotland.
Clyne described his debut as "one of the best days of my life," per Jamie Bradbury of TheFA.com, and this joy looks set to continue for the defender, and Southampton are wise to reward this.
However, despite contract talks on the cards, this may not necessarily be with the Saints.
The Luke Shaw Case
To see the potential fallacy in a "long-term contract" in modern football, you would only need to revisit Clyne's former teammate, Luke Shaw, and the full-back's transfer to Manchester United.
Shaw's reputation at Saint Mary's progressed rapidly compared to Clyne, with the then-18-year-old described by former Saints captain Adam Lallana as "probably the best player I've ever seen at 18," per Fifield of The Guardian.
Lallana spoke as Shaw joined him in his first England call-up; the latter receiving his first cap at five years Clyne's junior.
Such a major talent was Shaw that Southampton eagerly secured his long-term future shortly after his 18th birthday.
According to John Drayton of the Daily Mail, Shaw "extended his stay at Southampton by signing a five-year-deal at the club."
Drayton relays Shaw's quote on the club's official website, with the youngster claiming "I've been getting a lot of questions about my future...[But] I want to stay at this club, and signing this contract means I'm here for another five years."
However, most importantly, Drayton notes that Shaw was "targeted by Manchester United after an impressive first season in the Premier League" in 2012/13.
Less than 12 months later, Shaw could be seen posing with a Red Devils shirt after a BBC Sport-reported £27 million transfer to the Manchester club.
On his transfer, Shaw told ManUtd.com that "I want to continue to progress my career and joining United is the ideal place for me to do that."
Shaw's desires surely would not have changed so swiftly; it could be argued that his move to United was a foregone conclusion, with his Saints contract a mere diversion.
However, in securing his future—superficially at least—Southampton protected the value of this most-coveted of young talents.
Signing his five-year-deal in 2013, this boosted Shaw's transfer value to that astronomical sum, and this may be the route Koeman takes with Clyne.
Erase and Replace
The manager has already shown in his short time at the club that he possesses an impeccable business acumen, and his time spent in the Eredivisie is proving invaluable.
A mass exodus in the summer saw Shaw joined by Lallana, Rickie Lambert, Dejan Lovren and Calum Chambers in leaving the club for the wider reaches of the Premier League, and it was feared that the Saints had consigned to defeat after losing the bulk of their starting XI from 2013/14.
However, Koeman replaced Shaw with Ryan Bertrand, Lallana with Dusan Tadic, Lambert with Graziano Pelle and Lovren with Toby Alderweireld.
These signings have elevated the side, and Southampton sit second in the league after 11 games as a result.
Chambers was replaced from within, by Clyne, and this proved another astute move by the manager, with the England international's solid form continuing.
Koeman even claimed, per the Daily Southern Echo's Gordon Simpson, that "Clyne is one of the best right full-backs that I’ve had in my teams during the last 15 years."
However, with interest clearly rising, there is no reason to suggest that the defender is irreplaceable.
From the Eredivisie alone, Ricardo van Rhijn and Pele van Aanholt stand out as players capable of compensating for a potential loss of Clyne in the future.
Southampton's reported offer of a new, long-term deal to Nathaniel Clyne is great business in a two-fold manner: Ronald Koeman could secure the future of one of the club's best players, or ensure his value rockets should Liverpool come knocking once more in the near future.
Statistics via WhoScored.com.
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