Why Southampton parting ways with Guido Carrillo is the right move

According to The Sun, Southampton have allowed flop striker Guido Carrillo to depart on a free transfer to Spanish top-flight club Elche. The Argentinian still had a year left to run on his contract at St. Mary’s but the Saints saw fit to cut all ties with the 29-year-old, thus putting a full stop to his disastrous spell at the club.

Profile

Guido Carrillo shot to prominence with Estudiantes in Argentina, scoring 42 goals in 140 appearances for his boyhood club in all competitions before completing a move to Europe with French club Monaco. Carrillo struggled to establish himself as a regular starter at Monaco and never really managed to get to grips with the quality of football in Ligue 1.

Despite that, however, he accumulated a decent tally of 21 goals in 95 appearances across all competitions and helped Monaco win the 2016-17 Ligue 1 title. Southampton came calling for Carrillo’s services back in January 2018 and paid a handsome £19million to bring the Argentine forward to the English south coast.

Carrillo, though, proved to be a complete misfit for the style of play in the Premier League and made just 10 appearances in all competitions towards the back end of the 2017-18 campaign, failing to find the net even once. The 29-year-old was subsequently flogged out on loan to CD Leganes in the Spanish top-flight for the next two seasons.

The towering hitman managed only 6 goals in the La Liga during the 2018-19 campaign and netted only once in 24 outings last term as Leganes suffered relegation. However, Carrillo will once again feature in the La Liga this term, having recently sealed a free transfer to Elche.

Parting ways with Carrillo ideal for Southampton 

Southampton’s decision to fork out a staggering £19million for Guido Carrillo back in January 2018 raised plenty of eyebrows. The deal somehow didn’t strike the right chords among the fans and pundits when the Saints agreed to pay that kind of money for a struggling striker with a rather modest goal tally in the French top-flight.

Erstwhile Saints boss, Mauricio Pellegrino, though, went ahead with a massive gamble on his compatriot to add more firepower to his tepid forward line. And the fans surely wouldn’t want to recall how spectacularly Carrillo failed to make the grade in the Premier League. 

The 29-year-old didn’t even get a look in from Pellegrino’s successor Mark Hughes while Ralph Hasenhuttl wasn’t prepared to give him a second crack of the whip either. Truth be told, Carrillo hardly deserved another chance to prove himself in English football if his poor goal returns in Spain are anything to go by. 

Southampton currently have a top-quality striker like Danny Ings with Che Adams, Michael Obafemi and veteran Shane Long also competing for places up top. Hence, the door looked pretty much closed for Carrillo to make a fairytale return to the mix at St. Mary’s.

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Verdict

Southampton’s decision to part ways with Guido Carrillo on a free transfer, despite the player having a year remaining on his contract, clearly indicates how frustrated the management had become with the Argentine’s inconsistencies. In fact, the 29-year-old’s failure in the PL reiterates the fact that making knee-jerk signings is a proven recipe for disaster. 

No wonder the Saints seem to have taken a harsh lesson from that and are now focussed on recruiting young players who offer good value for money in the market. All in all, the fans are unlikely to rue Carrillo’s departure.