LISBON, PORTUGAL - SEPTEMBER 24: Jovane Cabral of Sporting CP during the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round match between Sporting CP and Aberdeen at Estadio Jose Alvalade on September 24, 2020 in Lisbon, Portugal. Football Stadiums around Europe remain empty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in fixtures being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Carlos Rodrigues/Getty Images)
According to A Bola (h/t MSN), Southampton are keen on signing Jovane Cabral from Sporting Lisbon. They have continued to monitor the forward over these few months ahead of the January transfer window. Spurs and West Ham have been the other clubs to keep tabs on the player.
Jovane Cabral is a 22-year-old winger who plays for Sporting Lisbon in Portugal. He started his footballing journey at the U-17 side of Sporting in 2014 when he was brought in from Gremio Nhagar, and progressed through the ranks.
Although his numbers for the youth sides weren’t great, he has made up for it with his performances for the senior side. In 58 appearances for the club, he has scored 11 goals and assisted a further 12 (source – Transfermarkt).
While he has healthy numbers in front of goal, adding another winger to a team that is well-stocked on the flanks makes little sense. Ralph Hasenhuttl has the likes of Theo Walcott, Nathan Redmond, Stuart Armstrong and Moussa Djenepo at his disposal. Another winger, Mohamed Elyounoussi is on loan at Celtic.
Cabral is a versatile player who can play on either wing and through the middle if required. But that does not help the fact that he could end up having a staggering £90million release clause if he signs the new contract with Sporting.
His current release clause stands at around £55million. This is well out of the Saints’ reach, let alone double that amount. More than anything, the club needs to sign some central midfielders and defenders.
They are short in those departments and could use some bodies there. The club have started the season rather well with 5 wins in 8 games. After such a start, it would only be fair to recruit players that are needed and within the budget.
Cabral may be a good emerging talent but the fact is that Southampton don’t need the player at this point. Also, they are likely to be priced out of any deal if the new contract goes through and his release clause shoots up. Southampton would be wise to pass up the chance to sign Cabral as he is someone they can do without.
