Southampton acquire rising midfielder from their allies to fill Charles void | OneFootball

Southampton bring Shea Charles' midfield replacement Izzet Furkan Malak from allied club Goztepe.

One of the latest trends among European clubs is their expansion to unite with other teams from different divisions. This rather complicated strategy is widely known as umbrella associations but it can prove to be a shrewd one if implemented well.

The intriguing reason is due to the advantage it holds with setting up multiple talent academies. Nowadays, every transfer window oversees many high profile talents joining elite European teams for hefty transfer fees.

Hence, Sport Republic owned Southampton also joined forces with Valenciennes and Turkish club Goztepe a few years ago. Talking about the results, Southampton's fringe players have enjoyed a great breakthrough season at Goztepe.

Furthermore, winter arrival Joachim Kayi Sanda also earned an applauding reputation previously at Valenciennes. Now, another player has joined the Saints with the aim of getting an experience of English youth level football.

Southampton acquire rising midfielder from their allies to fill Charles void

Goztepe's Izzet Furkan Malak is the latest recruitment at St. Mary's having been brought on a January loan. Talking about Malak, the Turkish wonderkid primarily operates as a central midfielder.

Therefore, it's safe to assume that Malak can be handed Shea Charles' responsibilities for the Saints' U21 team. Agreed that the latter has returned to Sheffield Wednesday but his initial comeback to Southampton must have been planned to strengthen the youth team.

As a result, Southampton might be eager to test out the talented Turk in the Premier League 2 division. If Malak turns heads with his performances in a short span of six months, that could prompt the Saints to permanently sign him and give him more first team opportunities.

Even if the midfielder can't carve out a regular starting role, Southampton would be fine letting him continue at Goztepe. At the bare minimum, this loan spell could help Malak fastrack his learning curve to excel in the Championship, if not in the Premier League later.

After all, this is the biggest plus point of having umbrella associations where multiple clubs can refine the careers of emerging prospects.