The Saints brought Maya Yoshida to St Mary’s eight years ago but has his time in the Premier League come to an join after moving to Serie A on loan?
Southampton defender Maya Yoshida has no plans to wind down his career in the Middle East but the chance to make a permanent move to Sampdoria could elicit a much more positive response, according to La Repubblica.
A lot has changed since the veteran Japan international first donned the red and white stripes of the Saints, all the way back in 2012.
Nigel Adkins was still the coach when Yoshida arrived from VVV Venlo in a £3 million deal, while the talented centre-back shared a dressing room with the likes of Rickie Lambert, Gaston Ramirez, Adam Lallana and Jack Cork.
After eight years and almost 200 appearances, however, it feels that Yoshida has now played his final game in Southampton colours.
The 31-year-old has another year on his contract at St Mary’s but, after being loaned out to Sampdoria in January, it seems that he has no future under Ralph Hasenhuttl.
According to reports, Sampdoria are already weighing up a move to sign Yoshida on a permanent basis. The 100-capped international has adapted to life in Italy like the proverbial duck to water, picking up a highly impressive grasp of the language in the space of just a few short months.
La Repubblica adds that a number of unnamed Middle-Eastern outfits would offer Yoshida the chance to boost his bank balance outside of Europe. But Yoshida’s Italian adventure is just getting started.
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