Bobby Clark signed for Red Bull Salzburg in August 2024, leaving Liverpool for a reported £10 million with a 17.5% sell-on clause inserted into the deal for good measure.
However, Clark was dropped from the squad by Head Coach Thomas Letsch after he had taken over from former Liverpool assistant manager, Pep Lijnders. Lijnders had overseen a disastrous start to the season, including just one win in eight Champions League matches. It seems to some that Clark was made the scapegoat.
The young Geordie made just 25 appearances for The Bulls, after arriving in the summer, averaging just over 45 minutes per match.
Clark took to social media to vent his frustration with the situation which saw him make just six appearances in seventeen games under Letsch.
Southampton set their sights on the 20-year-old midfielder
Now, under former RC Lens manager Will Still, Southampton are reported to have set their sights on the young English midfielder.
In Clark, Southampton would acquire an excellent passer of the ball. With a pass accuracy of 83.59% and an average of 42 passes per game, Clark is well above average. But these are basic statistics that do not tell the whole story.
Clark is a smart passer of the ball, with great vision and technical quality. In terms of progressive passes, Clark is ranked ninth best in the Bundesliga and he averages six progressive passes per match, despite his lack of playing time.
Clark plays like Adam Lallana in his heydey
Much like Adam Lallana in his heyday, Clark loves to receive the ball and look to make things happen. Remarkably, Clark is ranked third highest in the division for the average number of received passes.
Will Still's teams are hard working and counter-pressing units. In this aspect of his game, Clark is also strong.
However, it is in the role of playmaker that Clark could be most useful for Southampton. Alongside the likes of Shea Charles and Flynn Downes, Clark would be the more creative of the three. He would be the player to initiate attacks with his sublime passing.
On the downside, Clark is not a prolific goal scorer (xG=0.09), neither does he get many assists. Nevertheless, he does create an average of 1.4 chances per 90 minutes.
Despite the way things have panned out for Clark in Austria, Southampton would benefit from having a creative playmaker like Bobby Clark in the squad. At 20-years-old, he has plenty of time to develop and improve on the weaker aspects of his game. Under Still, with the support of Lallana on the coaching team, Bobby Clark has the potential to become a very good player for the club.
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