Dinamo Zagreb may look to bring Mislav Orsic back to Croatia with the Southampton newbie struggling to make an impact at the Premier League outfit, according to Sportske Novosti.
The Saints don’t tend to sign players who’s ages begin with a number three.
That they made an exception for Orsic, then, seemed to suggest a confidence that the Croatia international could make a crucial difference in the midst of a tense relegation battle. That belief did not appear misplaced either. At least, not initially.
This was, after all, a man who scored 13 goals in 27 games during the first half of the campaign. A man who arrived at St Mary’s after breaking the 20-goal barrier during three straight seasons in Zagreb. Did we mention Orsic also scored a stunning effort during the third-place play-off at the Qatar World Cup?
The £8 million deal that brought the 30-year-old to the South Coast, then, looked like one of the best pound-for-pound signings of the winter window, on paper. Expectation and reality, however, are two very different things.
January signing Mislav Orsic is struggling at Southampton
And Orsic’s Southampton struggles are a harsh reminder of the gulf in class that exists between one of Europe’s most high-profile leagues and those maybe a few rungs down the ladder.
Orsic has played just six minutes of Premier League football. He was left out of the matchday squad for a third game in a row during Saturday’s 1-0 win at Chelsea; interim boss Ruben Selles seemingly taking a leaf out of Nathan Jones’ book.
And, according to Sportske Novosti, Orsic’s former employers are watching his situation closely. Dinamo Zagreb have not yet ‘given up’ on welcoming a modern-day club legend back to his old stomping ground with open arms.
They would love to re-sign Orsic in the summer, either on loan or perhaps for a cut-price permanent deal, presuming Southampton are willing to cut their losses on a man who made one of his two Saints starts against Championship strugglers Blackpool in the FA Cup.
“He needs to do more,” Jones admitted after that Tangerines clash. “Absolutely he needs to do more. There’s bags of ability there and everything, but he needs to do more.
“But let’s be honest, he’s two games into an English career. He’s come from Zagreb where football is different and everything’s different. We’ll expect more from him over time.
“He’ll get there, and we’ve given him minutes. He’s had a good bit of exposure.
“Let’s judge him over time. At the minute we’re not seeing the best of him and he needs to do more but he’ll get there.”
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