The winger has been in great form recently but has had a fractious relationship with chairman Nicola Cortese. Has he done enough to win him over?
Southampton have recently started to fight their ‘relegation fodder’ tag that had befallen them after a poor start to the season.
The return to fitness of midfield battler Jack Cork has been key as has Maya Yoshida’s adaptation to the Premier League; not to mention the impressive form of young left-back Luke Shaw but perhaps their star performer in recent weeks has been Jason Puncheon. The former Barnet and MK Dons winger has been in scintillating form over the past few weeks as Southampton have won three drawn two and lost just once in their last six fixtures.
His trickery and passing ability from the right hand side has been integral in their recent resurgence and it brings up a very serious question for the hierarchy and management at St Marys; does he deserve a new contract?
Puncheon’s current deal expires in the summer and while his form on the pitch this season certainly warrants a new deal the story is not as clean-cut as that.
If you were to ask this exact same question about ten months ago it would have been a no-brainer; Puncheon had to go.
Southampton struggled to get the best out of him and his topsy-turvy form saw him sent out on several loan deals at Millwall, Blackpool and QPR. An Alan Pardew signing; at first he found it difficult to gain entrance to Adkins side but he was also critical of Chairman Nicola Cortese.
Cortese has certainly earned a reputation since taking over when the clubs saviour Markus Liebherr tragically passed away. Reportedly ruthless and extremely dedicated to the job he was described by Southampton legend Matt Le Tissier as ‘not a very nice human being’. Despite his flaws he deserves a serious level of respect for continuing on Liebherr’s work in his absence.
When he sacked Pardew however that was the first big warning sign but he appears to be a big fan of Adkins; a decision that has been vindicated in the past two seasons.
Puncheon risked his wrath however when he posted on Twitter:
“I’m not going anywhere. Gonna sit and train with the kids for 18 months, see how Cortese likes that, then go on a free.’’
That of course didn’t materialise. After apologising to Cortese he was back playing and helped Southampton secure promotion last season. Recently he spoke of his improved relationship with the Italian:
“Me and him had clear-the-air talks and, as far as I’m concerned, that’s all history.”
However at the end of the day the man who signs off on his wages is Cortese and after the way he publically undermined him it may prove difficult convincing him to keep Puncheon on board beyond the summer of 2013.
However if both player and owner are willing to let bygones be bygones it may be simple, but a lot could depend on Southampton’s relegation fight. Puncheon may well be advised to keep his options open.
Does Jason Puncheon deserve a new contract at Southampton?
image: © ingythewingy
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