Bournemouth are among the host of Premier League outfits who would like to pry Charlie Austin away from Southampton. The Saints are inching closer to a drop to the Championship and the 28-year-old could be a luxury that they might not be able to afford.
Austin hit the ground running early in the season but his impressive form got cut short with a hamstring injury in the winter period. He has missed the majority of the season and the backup options of Manolo Gabbiadini and Shane Long have failed to show up in his absence.
This obviously provoked the Saints to pursue the services of Guido Carrillo in the January window who was reported to have cost them £19.2m. The former AS Monaco forward has struggled to find his feet too and is yet to register his first goal in the Premier League.
The Hampshire based outfit seems to be on a downhill trajectory, staged at the 18th spot of the points table and 3 points adrift of safety. Whether Mark Hughes will be able to save them from the drop cannot be said for certain but the club is expected to undergo financial troubles next season if they do.
The loss of television rights along with a depreciation in viewership goes a long way in hampering a club’s financial stability and that could prove to be the end of their ties with big names like Charlie Austin. The 28-year-old signed with the St. Mary’s outfit in January 2016 after impressing for a then-promoted side, Queens Park Rangers.
His physical dominance inside the penalty box along with a keen eye for the goal made him an instant success at Southampton with 16 goals to his name so far. Austin was already a big name in the lower divisions of England and was slowly breaking into his stride in the Premier League.
The lack of his scoring abilities has somehow acted as a catalyst in Southampton’s poor record this season. Something, which Bournemouth successfully escaped in recent times.
Eddie Howe and his side sit in the 10th spot of the points table and are well poised to keep their place in the top-flight. They held Watford to a 2-2 draw at the Vicarage last weekend and are 9 points clear of the bottom three.
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The strike force might just be overly stacked with Jermain Defoe, Joshua King and Callum Wilson in the squad along with Benik Afobe and Lewis Grabban also in the club’s payroll but out on loan. Maybe it is time for Howe to clear the clubhouse and bring in a proven goalscorer like Austin.
