Southampton are just one match away from a day at Wembley Stadium after beating Liverpool 1-0 in their EFL Cup semi-final first leg.

Nathan Redmond’s first-half strike was enough to get a victory for the Saints on Wednesday evening. The second leg will commence on January 25.

Claude Puel’s side will now return their focus to the Premier League. Their next league match is away at Burnley on Saturday afternoon. The Saints are currently tenth in the league table and a win on Saturday could lift them up to ninth and above south coast rivals AFC Bournemouth.

The Saints have on kept one clean sheet in their last six matches, showing that they have been struggling to keep a solid defence.

With Captain Jose Fonte handing in a transfer request, Puel will be forced to purchase a good replacement for the long-serving defender.

With their defensive troubles and Fonte’s wish to leave, Puel will be looking at where he can strengthen his defence.

Shoot! looks at two defenders that Southampton should sign in this month’s transfer window…

Christopher Jullien

Christopher Jullien (Left)

The Toulouse centre-back is not necessarily a household name, but signing him could be another hidden gem to come out of French football.

The French defender has had an extremely impressive debut season in Ligue 1. Since arriving in Toulouse from SC Freiburg in the summer, Jullien has started 16 of his new side’s 19 league games.

Jullien has kept four clean sheets so far in the league this season. He has also scored three league goals, as well as earning three man of the match awards.

One of these awards was for his outstanding performance in Toulouse’s 2-0 victory against Paris Saint-Germain in September.

According to whoscored.com, Jullien has the third highest average match rating of any centre-back in France’s top-flight. Only Saint-Etienne’s Loic Perrin and PSG’s Thiago Silva have outshone him this season.

Compared to Fonte, the young Frenchman has won more aerial duels, made more clearances and let fewer opposition players dribble past him this season. Jullien has also won three times as many offsides as Fonte has.

Fonte may have a superior tackling, interception and blocks average than the 23-year old, but Jullien’s significantly higher match rating shows just how much of an influence he has been this season.

Jullien is known for having an eye for goal after scoring nine league goals in 33 Ligue 2 appearances last season, whilst on loan at Dijon.

The Frenchman’s contract may not be up until the middle of 2020, but will Puel be able to attract Jullien to the south coast with the bright lights of the Premier League on offer.

Michael Keane

The young Burnley centre-back is already showing signs of just what he is capable of.

Keane has started all 20 of Burnley’s Premier League fixtures this season. He’s kept four clean sheets during that time with two of them coming against Liverpool and his former club Manchester United.

His form this season has been recognised by his national side. Keane earned his first England call-up in October, but failed to appear in either of the two World Cup qualifiers against Malta and Slovenia.

According to whoscored.com, Keane’s performances have left Fonte in the shadows when you compare the two this season. In a defensive sense, Fonte only betters Keane on his tackles per game average. In every other defensive category, Keane has looked far more impressive.

The 23-year-old only has 18 months left on his contract at Turf Moor, which could be a fantastic incentive for Southampton manager Puel to buy him at a good price.