Southampton have had a tremendously erratic season so far. Their last humiliating defeat to Everton took their losing streak to three in a row where they have scored only twice, and Claude Puel is under real pressure at the moment. After Charlie Austin’s injury, the Saints have remarkably lost their edge up front and Puel is desperately looking at options to bolster his forward line.
And as per reports, Southampton are plotting a £17million move for Napoli forward Manolo Gabbiadini to solve their goalscoring problems. Gabbiadini has been a hot prospect for many Premier League clubs like West Ham United, Stoke City, and Everton this season. Bundesliga strugglers Wolfsburg, who recently sold Julian Draxler to Paris Saint-Germain, are also said to be interested.
Gabbiadini hasn’t had the best of seasons so far in Napoli and has fallen down the pecking order. Gonzalo Higuaín’s high profile move to Juventus last summer had opened up a huge space for him to establish himself as the first-choice, which was a big reason for the striker deciding to stay in Naples. With, Arkadiusz Milik’s injury in the opening few months of the season, the time was ideal for Gabbiadini to prove his mettle and own the number 9 position.
However, he has failed to impress consistently so far. And Napoli have finally decided to dispose of him if a good offer comes their way.
His stats this season do not reveal his true potential. As far as Gabbiadini‘s attributes are concerned, he is a tailor-made forward for the Claude Puel style of football. The 24-year-old is technically and tactically supreme, who is hard working up front and can play anywhere in the attacking third.
Primarily a number nine, his vision makes him a valuable addition to the Southampton squad who could strive with good link-up play with the likes of Boufal and Tadic in the attacking third. His attributes definitely make him a wise buy, who can flourish under Puel.
Since joining Napoli in the January of 2015, he has netted only 22 times from 70 games. It should also be noticed that he started most of his games from the bench and initially had to play the second fiddle to Higuaín. If given a regular chance, he could develop really well in a more open league like in England.
Southampton are currently 10th in the league and if they don’t come back to winning ways, their dreams of a top half finish could take a beating. And Gabbiadini could be the player who ensures they finish in the top half.
