Transfer story
Southampton have reportedly shown interest in adding Monaco forward Guido Carrillo to their ranks this January transfer window. Pellegrino already has Charlie Austin, Shane Long and Manolo Gabbiadini to choose from but none of them have really been consistently firing.
While Austin found some much-needed form, he picked up an unfortunate hamstring injury that will keep him out till March. The other two have been hot and cold for a large part of the season. Carrillo has already worked under Pellegrino in his time at Estudiantes, which saw the rise of the striker. This season, he has made 22 appearances, but only a couple of them have been starts. Along with a replacement for Virgil van Dijk, the Saints desperately need a target man to share the goalscoring burden with Austin.
More on the player
The Argentine began his career at Estudiantes and went on to play for their senior team. He scored 42 goals for then in 141 appearances, which attracted interest from Olympiacos, Inter Milan and As Monaco. He then went on to join the French giants in 2015. In over 90 appearances for them, he has scored 18 goals, which includes five this season. Carrillo chipped in with important goals for the side that won the Ligue 1 last season, playing an important role.
What he’ll offer to the club
The 26-year old has three goals in his last four appearances, which simply means he steps up to the occasion whenever required. In around 50 appearances for Monaco, he has 20 goals which are fine stats for a player who is not always in the starting lineup. But, the Premier League is a whole different ballgame.
Guido Carrillo focuses on his goals and goes about his business without any fuss. He will offer more mobility and movement than the others in this club, fine finishing ability and good amounts of work rate. A shift of clubs could provide him with a call-up from the national side, something that he certainly deserves.
Worth the fuss?
Not really. Gabbiadini is more than capable of being the number one striker for this side too and has already shown it on the big stage last season. Instead of investing in a striker, they might as well trust the finishing of Gabbiadini and the pace of Long. They probably could do better with a versatile midfielder, someone who can move the ball quickly in midfield and pick passes out of nothing moments. Also to mention, it’s tough to get a striker who is quite frequently used a substitute and not completely off his manager’s ideas.
