Newcastle and West Ham were both said to be among the teams interested in signing Kevin Danso before he completed a move to join Southampton.
The Daily Echo reports that the player was attracting a wealth of interest last year after impressing at FC Augsburg, so have the Magpies missed a trick here?
The player was a last-minute summer signing for Southampton as he prepares to make his return to England after previously coming through the ranks at MK Dons.
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The report claims that Danso has been likened Frank Rijkaard and Marcel Desailly, which is high praise indeed.
Southampton appear confident that they are signing a player that can make the step up into the first-team squad straight away.
Given that Newcastle’s interest was believed to be last year, it may have been a move that happened too soon for the Austrian defender.
Battling against relegation under Rafa Benitez, one thing that the Magpies did have was a settled defence, with the likes of Jamaal Lascelles and Fabian Schar at the back.
Danso has flourished in Germany as a result of game time in some high pressure moments and there’s no gurantee that this would have been an option at Newcastle.
It’s clear to see that he is regarded as one of the most promising talents to come from the Bundesliga in recent years. His versatility and potential would have been a major boost, but for Newcastle this looks like the right player at the wrong time.
