Dusan Tadic has been in extraordinary form in the Eredivisie with Ajax – why did Premier League strugglers Southampton ever let him go?
Anyone who has watched Southampton and Newcastle United regularly this season would not have been surprised to see Saturday’s meeting between the two sides result in a goalless snooze-fest.
Both teams have struggled badly for goals and creativity in the final third – and The Saints’ problems are deeper rooted than the last few weeks.
Since the start of the 2017/18 season, the South Coast club have scored just 43 Premier League goals. And they look even more toothless this campaign than they did in the last.
So Southampton fans will not want to be made brutally aware about just how impressive Dusan Tadic has been since moving to Ajax.
The Serbian creator was The Saints’ key attacking force in the last few years and played a major role in their escape from relegation last season, notably scoring twice in a 2-1 win against local rivals Bournemouth.
So the decision to sell the former FC Twente star back to Holland for just £10 million raised plenty of eyebrows. And when you consider that Tadic has been a revelation at Ajax, scoring 10 and assisting eight more goals in just 19 games, the decision looks even more baffling.
Ajax are playing some of the most attractive football in all of Europe right now and Tadic is a major part of that, inspiring the 3-0 victory over bitter enemies Feyenoord last Sunday.
Southampton could certainly do with some of Tadic’s game-turning magic right now.
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