OPINION
Southampton have gone about their transfer business in a relatively low-key manner, bringing in three players to St Mary’s without the media furore that usually comes with a new signing.
Current strikers Charlie Austin, Shane Long and Manolo Gabbiadni have proved to be not the most reliable of options going forward, and boss Mark Hughes will be hoping to see a new striker come through the door to answer his attacking prayers.
He should consider attacker Iago Aspas from Celta Vigo – a potential candidate to boost the Saints’ firepower in a bid to avoid the drop next season.
Should Hughes manage to secure the capture of the 30-year-old Spain internatoinal, then he would have pulled off a massive masterstroke.
Aspas may not have enjoyed the most successful of playing careers during his year-long stint at Anfield, being mostly remembered for ‘that’ corner, but he has definitely has a taste of success following his move to Spain.
He joined La Liga club Celta Vigo two years ago, and has since gone from strength to strength – netting an impressive 23 goals and laying on five assists last season.
This is an outstanding tally as a winger, and Hughes should be jumping at the chance to bring someone with a goal scoring ability like Aspas, who found the net against Morocco at the World Cup.
On the South Coast, Hughes will be able to let Aspas operate as a centre-forward, especially as he is better at bagging strikes than providing assists for them.
Southampton struggled for goals in the last campaign, which saw them slip down the table into the relegation battle – but the additon of Aspas should make that a distant memory if he replicates his form from last term.
The club now needs to secure a stunning capture that would be a masterstroke by Hughes, which would see the team surge up the league table.