Southampton haven’t been able to consistently put in good performances in the League this season. They have been terrible lately, losing four games on the trot. While Claude Puel has tasted some success in the cup competitions like EFL Cup and FA Cup, their Europa Cup campaign was unceremoniously ended by Hapoel Be’er Sheva.
The biggest blow came when their star striker Charlie Austin was ruled out for a major part of the season with a horrific shoulder injury. Although Puel has Shane Long as a back-up, the striker hasn’t been in a good touch and the Saints are in a dire need of quality up front.
And as per reports, Puel has made a move for Serie A striker Manolo Gabbiadini after monitoring the forward for a long time. Apparently, the Saints have tabled a 13-million-pound bid for the Napoli striker, who hasn’t had the best of the seasons so far.
However, Gabbiadini seems like a popular target this January with quite a few Premier League sides monitoring him. Hence, Southampton’s offer could prove to be too small as Gabbiadini’s asking price is said to be closer to £20m.
Although AS Monaco’s Valere Germain and Liverpool’s Daniel Sturridge are also on Southampton’s radar, a move for them is not as probable as this one.
After Higuaín’s departure, Gabbiadini had the perfect chance to prove his mettle at Naples. Their new recruit Milik soon faced a serious injury and it was only down to Gabbiadini up front to play and score. But the striker has managed to score only 6 goals in 19 appearances for Napoli in all competitions.
Maurizio Sarri has considered disposing of the forward in the current transfer window due to his ineffectiveness in the Serie A. However, his season stats don’t point towards his true potential. Gabbiadini’s versatility makes him a utility attacking option up front and with players like Boufal and Tadic combining with him up front, he could be the real deal for the Saints.
At 181 cm, Gabbiadini could be decent in aerial duels too and he is quite well known in the Italian league for his shooting prowess. A real threat from set-pieces, Gabbiadini’s fast movements could be an asset for Southampton who will still want to finish in the top half of the table despite their latest setback in form.
While defensive contributions are a major concern in his play, considering Southampton’s defensive record, which is pretty good in the league, Gabbiadini could easily express himself up front in what is a more open league than the Serie A.
