Journalist Tom Barclay has admitted that he would not be shocked to see Southampton offer Moussa Djenepo a new contract.
The 23-year-old has been a divisive figure at St Mary's since moving to the South Coast in 2019.
What is Djenepo's contract situation at Southampton?
Djenepo arrived in the Premier League over two years ago, and he now has just 20 months left on his contract.
His overall record at Southampton is hardly an eye-catching one, as he has managed just six goal contributions in 60 appearances across all competitions.
The Saints must make a decision in the coming months as to whether to hand the winger a new deal, or if they should look to offload him before his contract expires.
What has Barclay said about Djenepo?
Barclay has acknowledged that it will be a difficult call for Southampton to make on the 19-cap Mali international. However, he has suggested that the Premier League side's financial limitations plus Djenepo's age could lead to the attacker being offered the opportunity to stay at the club.
When talking through how Southampton may approach the issue, Barclay told GIVEMESPORT: "Given the fact that they don’t have bundles of cash, and he’s still a relatively young player, and how much it would cost to replace him, I wouldn’t be surprised if they gave him a new contract.”
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Does Djenepo deserve a new contract?
The numbers don't look great, do they?
When Southampton signed Djenepo from Standard Liege, they would have hoped that he'd have scored more than four goals in his first 60 matches. If the club were making this decision purely based on statistics, it is unlikely that Djenepo would get a new contract.
Still, it does feel like there is more to come from the forward. His pace and dribbling ability make him an exciting player to watch when he is at his best, and we saw what he is capable of in his recent outing against Leeds.
In that clash, Djenepo, who is valued at £11.7m by Transfermarkt, completed two successful dribbles and made two key passes to help his team to a 1-0 win.
If he can perform at that level on a more consistent basis, it could convince Southampton that it is worth persevering with him, and that may lead to him earning a contract extension.
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