A product of Ghanaian Youth Academies, Mo Salisu arrived at Southampton after just one season playing senior football in Spain. But the fans had to wait more than six months for him to feature in a first-team fixture. Why that was became a bit of a mystery with Ralph Hasenhuttl saying he was not “match fit” and he was being seen as a “long-term project”. When he did finally make his bow he proved to be an athletic central defender who, when on song, could look world class. But he could be prone to errors and he had a temperamental side too as evidenced by his refusal, at first, to play for his national team. He did finally agree to play for the “Black Stars” just before the 2022 World Cup and he subsequently made four appearances in the competition. He returned to turmoil at Southampton who were in the process of twice changing their manager, while facing a relegation battle. The situation called out for players of character but Salisu, it seems, was not prepared to fight for the cause. There were claims he was carrying an injury when he failed to start a game for club after the home defeat to Wolves in the February, but local journalists used terms like “downed tools” and it didn’t take too much reading between the lines to realise he didn’t fancy climbing aboard a sinking ship. With one year left on his contract he was sold to Monaco in the summer of 2023 and not many rued his departure.