Davis discussing ‘elevated captaincy’ role with Saints

Mark Holmes
Kelvin Davis: Begins new role at Southampton

Kelvin Davis: Begins new role at Southampton

Kelvin Davis is in talks to extend his 10-year stay at Southampton but says there’s only “about a five per cent chance” he will carry on playing.

Signed from Sunderland in 2006, the 39-year-old has gone on to experience play-off disappointment, relegation, back-to-back promotions and record Premier League finishes.

Davis’ service will be recognised in a testimonial at St Mary’s next Tuesday, when the current Saints side take on a select squad of players involved in the promotion-winning campaigns of 2010-11 and 2011-12.

It is a night the goalkeeper is understandably looking forward to as he prepares to hopefully take on a new role at the club.

“(My contract) ends this summer,” Davis said. “We are in discussions at the moment, in quite deep discussions and quite far down the line on a role for me.

“The bottom line is I didn’t want a kind of role which was just shaking people’s hands and wheel him out in front of the cameras when something needs to be announced.

“I wanted it to be something where basically I can keep doing what I’ve been doing which is get in amongst the lads and keep pushing the club forward.

“What we’re discussing is a role which can help me do that and learn my coaching along the way.

“It is a bit of a diverse role, almost an elevated role of the captaincy that I am doing, so it could potentially be a new role at this club and I can see it, for us, working very well.

“I’d be working closely with Ronald (Koeman, manager) and with Les (Reed, executive director of football) and hopefully it creates something different other clubs maybe don’t have.”

Asked if he will still be playing next season, he said: “I would say there’s about a five per cent chance of that.

“It boils down to really this role being agreed by all at the club. I still believe I can go and play in goal at another level.

“I ask myself can I see myself sitting in a dressing room somewhere? My biggest fear, which I don’t mind saying, is a manager has come in screaming and shouting and me sitting there thinking ‘this guy doesn’t know what he’s talking about’.

“I can handle the level, the level wouldn’t bother me. I would do my best, try and look after whoever I can and do what I do. That’s the bit I would find difficult.

“So, I think if the opportunity for me, if it is the right one to be here, then that would be what I want to do.”