Mohammed Salisu: Southampton's Ghanaian Rock in Defense

In football, a player’s career can change for better or worse in an instant. That was certainly the case for Mohammed Salisu, who went from an unknown quantity to one of the most promising defenders in Spain in just one day. Despite only being used sparingly in preseason under manager Sergio González, Salisu was given his league debut in the Real Valladolid's 2019/20 La Liga opener against Real Betis.

With Federico Barba still suspended after picking up a red card for Chievo Verona three months earlier, and with the club having neglected to purchase a replacement for Fernando Calero, Salisu was thrown into the deep end, but ended up impressing as the Blanquivioletas managed a 2-1 victory. He passed the test with flying colors, and excelled against Real Madrid and Levante. By the time the summer transfer window had closed, it was neither of the loan arrivals -- Javi Sánchez and Barba -- who was starting alongside Kiko Olivas in defense, but Salisu.

Salisu reaped the rewards of manager González’s trust, as well as the fortuitous circumstances that landed in his favor. On March 27, 2019, Bayern Munich smashed their transfer record to bring in Lucas Hernandez from Atlético Madrid for €80 million. In turn, the Rojiblancos brought in Mario Hermoso from Espanyol for €25 million plus another €4 million in add-ons, well below his €40 million release clause. This set off another chain of events; Espanyol signed Fernando Calero, who had blossomed for Real Valladolid the prior season, for a reported fee of €8 million.

Whereas Calero has struggled to justify his lofty price tag in Catalunya and finds himself second-choice to new signing Sergi Gómez and Leonardo Cabrera, Hermoso struggled in his first season at Atlético before emerging as a starter as Diego Simeone's Rojiblancos clinched their first league title since 2013/14. Lucas Hernandez has shown moments of promise for the Bavarians but has struggled to steer clear of injuries during his time at the club.