Australia manager Graham Arnold admits that Harry Souttar is ‘going through a tough time’ at Leicester City and that the next transfer window will be ‘really crucial’ in the centre half’s career. Souttar signed for City a little over a year ago from Stoke City, but he has made just 15 league appearances in that time and that includes two starts in all competitions this year.
Under Enzo Maresca, Souttar has found international football to be his undisputed primary supply of regular football; indeed Souttar has earned himself 12 international caps for the Socceroos this term, compared to his four appearances for the Foxes, where he has found Jannik Vestergaard, Wout Faes, Conor Coady and Ben Nelson to be ahead of him.
He’s been a goal threat, too; towering Souttar has plundered five goals this season for the Aussies from set-pieces, and helped them to keep a clean sheet in their World Cup qualifying win over Lebanon on Thursday morning. Speaking of his club situation at the King Power Stadium, Socceroos boss Arnold has expressed his concern over his lack of game time, however.
Arnold shared the details of his honest conversation with Souttar, and outlined his hope that the centre half secures regular football at the next possible opportunity – be that by breaking into the City starting XI or, more likely, by looking for a regular source of football elsewhere in the summer window.
“It’s his mindset…and he’s so important to us,” Arnold told reporters this week. “With the size of him, he’s one of our leading goalscorers…and he’s a leader. In that [centre-back] position, he’s crucial in what we need. I know he’s going through a tough time at Leicester. I had a good chat with him.
“He has to fix it. This can’t go on forever, but what we are doing probably at the moment is helping his career by giving him match minutes during these FIFA (international) windows and showing what he can do, but as a side to him today, this next transfer window is going to be really crucial for him.
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