According to reports in The Mirror, Southampton are lining up a January move for AS Monaco striker Stevan Jovetic as Mauricio Pellegrino looks to boost his goal-shy team.
What’s the word, then?
Well, Pellegrino will already have one eye on the New Year and he will be looking to solve his side’s goalscoring woes after they scored just nine goals in 11 Premier League matches so far this term.
Having netted just 41 in 38 top flight games last season it is clear that it is a fundamental issue and The Mirror believes that the south coast outfit are targeting Jovetic, who is unhappy with life at the Ligue 1 giants despite only joining them on a four-year deal from Inter Milan towards the end of the summer transfer window.
How has he done this season?
The 28-year-old has found first-team football hard to come by and has made just six appearances in all competitions for Monaco since the start of September – scoring one goal – often being kept out of the team by fellow summer arrival Keita Balde Diao.
The Montenegro international has often found himself on the substitutes’ bench and has also been affected by injury, although he did start his side’s previous Champions League group game against Besiktas at the start of this month.
Would he solve Southampton’s goalscoring woes?
When you look at his record throughout his career, it would suggest that he isn’t what Saints need right now if they want guaranteed goals.
The attacker scored 11 times in 44 appearances in all competitions for Manchester City during his only spell in England, while he had seven in 33 for Inter previously.
41 goals in 147 Serie A outings for Inter and Fiorentina give a good idea of the scoring rate that he is able to bring, and it might not be enough in the south coast outfit’s current situation.
That said, WhoScored.com says that Jovetic is strong at holding on to the ball and that is something that Southampton have been missing from their strikers this season to allow their midfielders to support.
What’s the verdict, then?
Well, while Southampton fans certainly wouldn’t turn their nose up at signing a player like Jovetic considering some of the clubs he has in his repertoire, he doesn’t seem to be the answer to the main issue that they have right now.