Puel admits Southampton content with attacking depth

Southampton manager Claude Puel spoke highly of his squad following Saturday's 1-1 draw with Watford, and in praising goal-scoring summer signing Nathan Redmond, refuted claims that the club needs some reinforcements up top.

Redmond, who made the trip south from Norwich City for a fee of €13.5 million earlier in the summer, cancelled out Etienne Capoue's opener for the Hornets to split the points with Walter Mazzari's lot.

With last season's top-two scorers, Sadio Mane and Graziano Pelle, long gone, rather than dip into the transfer market once more before the window slams shut on Sept. 1, Puel concedes that he's happy with the attack options at his disposal.

"No, we have solutions with Jay Rodriguez and Charlie Austin on the bench," Puel told reporters following the draw at St. Mary's.

"I said he (Redmond) can play as a striker, and I think he has all the qualities for the position."

Typically employed as a winger whilst with the Canaries, Redmond was slotted-in up top alongside Shane Long, who like his new Saints mate, is not a striker in the traditional mould.

That versatility paid off for Puel, who opted for the pairing of Redmond and Long over Rodriguez and Austin. Southampton supporters with an informed opinion on their new gaffer shouldn't be surprised, as Puel routinely opted for multi-faceted attackers the likes of Hatem Ben Arfa, Alassane Plea, and Valere Germain while at Nice.

Redmond, 22, offers a similar varied set of skills, and Puel appears elated with the summer signing.

"You could see today his movement, dribbling and quality in combinations, he has a good acquaintance with his partners and this is important for the future.

"It gives many solutions for the team and perhaps in the second half he could have scored another goal because he had many situations."