Southampton have reportedly launched a £17.5m bid for AS Monaco striker, Guido Carrillo in hopes of saving their woeful season. With Charlie Austin sidelined and second choice duo Shane Long and Manolo Gabbiadini struggling to find the back of the net, concerns of a relegation are increasingly growing around the St. Mary’s Stadium.
The Saints are on a 9-game winless streak and have dropped to the 16th spot of the points table held off from the relegation zone due to goal difference. Their 1-2 loss to a rejuvenated Crystal Palace side cause outrage among the fans at home who are now calling for the head of Mauricio Pellegrino.
The manager has had a tough time in rotating the squad with a few key players injured and the exit of Virgil van Dijk has just compounded his troubles. Saints striker, Shane Long finally ended his 35 game goal drought against Palace but it was not enough to get the side a win. Gabbiadini’s case is controversial with the limited minutes he has received so far and might just have fallen out of favour with Pellegrino.
Therefore, the arrival of a goal-scoring talent with heaps to offer is necessary for Southampton.
Carrillo is a second choice striker behind Radamel Falcao and has played just 643 minutes of football this season. But even then he has registered 5 goals and 1 assist and is quite efficient in front of goal.
The 26-year-old arrived at the Stade Louis II in the summer of 2015 for £7.3m ($10m) and has appeared in 93 matches for the French outfit. Primarily developing his game at Estudiantes de La Plata, an Argentine club, Carrillo has scored the ball 18 times along with 9 assists for AS Monaco.
This stat line might not be very impressive but he has never received a consistent run of games. A move to Southampton might just ensure that and the Magdalena-born forward can hit the ground running on his arrival to the Premier League.
Monaco’s European campaign has been shambolic with the side registering just 2 points in the group stages and falling way below rivals Paris Saint- Germain in the points table.
Obviously, the summer exit of their key players have forced such consequences upon them but they might have to sell again in order to bring in better talents. With Carrillo gone they will have to scout for young prolific talents for the future with an ageing Falcao already seeing a decline in his athletic abilities.
