Southampton youngster Livramento proving to be one of the signings of the season
When Southampton completed their business with Chelsea over the summer, there was more focus on Armando Broja than Valentino Livramento. The former bolstered Saints' frontline and afforded head coach Ralph Hasenhuttl an additional physical attacking presence that had been found wanting in the past.
It is a move that has benefitted all parties. Chelsea needed Broja to gain regular game time to realise his immense potential to either use the Albanian in the future or boost his value. The 20-year-old has maximised the game time afforded to him, scoring four times for the south coast side - no Saints player has scored more - while Hasenhuttl has a promising young frontman to call upon.
The deal that took Broja to St. Mary's, though, overshadowed Livramento's move from west London to Southampton. Having signed Romain Perraud from Brest, the expectation was that the Frenchman would operate at left-back and Kyle Walker-Peters would be used at right-back, Perraud signed as a replacement for Ryan Bertrand after his departure for Leicester.
Yet, in reality, it's Perraud and Walker-Peters who have been battling to operate at left-back and Livramento first choice on the opposite flank. The 18-year-old is one of only three players to have started every league match for Saints this season, midfielder Oriol Romeu and goalkeeper Alex McCarthy completing the set.
For a player who had never played a Premier League minute before the season, Livramento has taken to the demands of senior league football with relative ease. Only centre-back Mohammed Salisu (7.10) has gained a better WhoScored rating than the teenager (7.05) of all players for Hasenhuttl's side in 2021/22 to reinforce his excellent start to life with Saints.
When Saints spent around £5m to secure his services in August, eyebrows were certainly raised on the decision to spend so much on a player with no Premier League experience. However, he is highly thought of at Chelsea, so much so that the Blues are believed to have included a £25m buy-back clause in the deal. While some may have wanted to see Livramento start for the west London side, compatriot Reece James stood between the the former and a starting spot at Stamford Bridge.
It was crucial, then, that Livramento depart Chelsea in order to garner key minutes to aid his development, and he is very much enjoying the regular game time under Hasenhuttl. Saints have proven to be a more solid side this season with Livramento in the XI. Only Chelsea, Man City (both 7) and Liverpool (6) have kept more clean sheets than Saints (5) after 11 games in the Premier League this season. For context, Saints kept just nine clean sheets from 38 league matches in 2020/21; only four teams kept fewer.
While Livramento's arrival isn't a sole reason for Saints' improved defensive resolve - Salisu has also been crucial having established himself as a first team regular on the south coast - the right-back has certainly played his part. A return of 45 tackles and interceptions combined is the fifth best return in the Premier League at the time of writing, and the fourth best of all full-backs.
It's not just Livramento's defensive work that has caught the eye either. He may have scored just the one goal this season, that coming in Saints' 2-2 draw with Burnley, but he gets forward well to provide an additional attacking option in the final third. Only Aaron Wan-Bissaka (18) has completed more dribbles than Livramento (16) of Premier League defenders this season, while the Saints full-back is the third most fouled player (26) in the division.
This is a boost for Saints in attack as it means Livramento can win free-kicks in dangerous positions, and allow for captain James Ward-Prowse to utilise his ability from set-piece situations to good effect, providing an additional route to goal for Hasenhuttl's side. Crucially, too, is that Livramento is able to create for his teammates where needed, which shows the right-back is able to pick a pass when he does get forward.
A return of 10 key passes from open play is the fifth most of defenders in the Premier League this season and while he is yet to register an assist in 2021/22, it's only a matter of time before Livramento provides that first assist of the season provided he can continue to create these goalscoring chances.
Considering the high-profile, big money summer transfers in the Premier League over the summer, despite the current climate and financial restraints put on teams owing to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Saints have struck goal by spending little for Livramento, who continues to go from strength-to-strength.
