Southampton host West Bromwich Albion and former striker Jay Rodriguez in the Premier League this weekend.
Given the torrid time that Jay Rodriguez had endured due to injury during the latter years of his time with Southampton, there was no question that West Brom’s decision to spend £12 million on him in the summer – with the fee reported by the Daily Mail – was still something of a gamble.
The Englishman appears to have a huge amount of talent, but his form since his return from injury has never quite hit the heights that it was at when he appeared to be in contention for a spot in England’s 2014 World Cup squad before the chance was cruelly taken away from him.
Nevertheless, his bright start to life at The Hawthorns had suggested that the fresh start was going to do him the world of good, as he often looked lively for Tony Pulis’ men and scored in the 1-1 draw with Stoke City back in August.
However, in the five league games since then, Rodriguez has not found the back of the net or provided an assist and his overall form has been disappointing.
So perhaps a return to familiar surroundings may be exactly what the former Burnley man needs.
The Baggies’ next game sees them travel to St Mary’s to take on the Saints, who themselves need a good result, having won just once in their last six games, and that came against bottom side Crystal Palace.
Rodriguez will undoubtedly have plenty of happy memories from his time playing at the ground and in front of the Saints fans, and Tony Pulis may be hoping that that brings the very best out of him and gives him the confidence boost he desperately needs.
But while the Southampton supporters will want the 28-year-old to enjoy as much success as possible given the terrible luck he had, they probably will not mind if he has one more off day before rediscovering his best form.
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