As Roger Moore put it so well in yesterday's column, he can be the road-sweeper to balance the violinists (Lawrie Mac will explain, Wayne!).
He has had his share of injury problems with the oh-so-fashionable footballing double of a cruciate ligament and broken metatarsal on his CV. However, his injury problems look largely behind him and he is fit and ready to step into the breach after a decent outing in Burnley's first game of the season.
The fee has surprised many Burnley fans, particularly for a player in the last year of his contract, but with Saints in desperate needs of reinforcements and with £1m banked from the Pele sale, it should represent a good deal for all parties.
Saints are also reported to have Saint Etienne right back and Mali international Fousenni Diawara on trial, with the player available on a free.