Southampton are in a free fall at the moment. The Saints endured their sixth defeat in seven domestic league games last week against a rejuvenated West Ham United side and are currently sitting at the 13th position in the Premier League table.
With Virgil van Dijk out of the line-up, the French manager had to settle for Jack Stephens and Maya Yoshida in the centre-half position and the despite their impressive win against Liverpool in the Cup, reality has set in as their defence isn’t good enough. After the sale of their former skipper Jose Fonte to London club West Ham United, the club are yet to successfully fill the void left by him.
And according to ESPN, the Saints are now considering a move for Uruguayan defender Martin Caceres. The former Juventus player has been on the lookout for a new club after turning down the chance to join Serie A giant AC Milan. Milan chief executive Adriano Galliani told Mediaset that Caceres had “passed all of the medicals, but we could not agree on personal terms.”
The 29-year-old has been without a club since leaving Juventus last summer and has been linked with a move to numerous English clubs. As reports, he was set to link up with Crystal Palace for training so that Allardyce can assess his fitness levels before deciding whether to offer him a short-term deal at the club, but the Eagles’ acquisition of Patrick van Aanholt didn’t allow a development on that front.
However, now with Southampton taking interest in him, a move is quite possible for the player. The Uruguayan is known for his great versatility and strong physique as he is someone who could outmuscle any opponent. His speed both on and off the ball is spectacular and he will undoubtedly be a level up for Southampton’s defence who have been reduced to their bare bones at the moment.
A youth product of Uruguayan side Defensor Sporting Club, Caceres has played in some of the biggest clubs across Europe like Sevilla, Barcelona and Juventus. Since making his debut for the national team back in 2007, he has earned 69 caps and scored 3 goals. He had been a regular in the UEFA Champions League and Europa League football and Palace will have a top-level defender if they manage to land him.
Southampton have lost six of their last seven games conceding a staggering 15 goals and Puel’s plan to offer Caceres a short-term deal to bolster his defensive ranks could well be a season-changing move by him.
