Southampton would have felt disappointed come full-time at Carrow Road on New Year’s Day, the Saints stumbling to a draw versus Norwich City despite dominating for large spells of the contest.
On another day, Russell Martin’s side would have humbled the Canaries on their own patch – the south coasters notching up 75% possession over the duration of the 90 minutes, whilst registering a hefty 21 shots on goal.
Still, it’s another game without defeat for the unbeaten Saints who haven’t tasted the bitterness of a loss in their last 18 second-tier matches with automatic promotion now not exactly out of their reach – Southampton only three points behind a slightly faltering Ipswich Town now in the league standings.
To enhance Southampton even further and take them to the next level to go toe-to-toe with the top two, Martin could be tempted to sign this entertaining midfielder on a temporary basis who could potentially displace Ryan Fraser.
Southampton transfer latest – Fabio Carvalho
The Daily Mail at the start of this month reported that Southampton could well be the next destination for Liverpool starlet Fabio Carvalho, with the Reds recalling the ex-Fulham attacker from his loan out to RB Leipzig prematurely.
The Saints would have to tussle it out with Enzo Maresca’s table-topping Leicester City to sign Carvalho on a loan deal however, according to Sky Sports, the Foxes also keen to add bodies to their already impressive squad to ensure their fixed grip on first position doesn’t slip.
Martin will attempt to persuade Carvalho to move to St Mary’s over the King Power Stadium, displacing Fraser if signed as a proven livewire at second tier level previously with the Cottagers.
The stats that show why Carvalho would be a good signing for Southampton
The Portuguese attacking midfielder would give Southampton yet another flair option going forward, the Saints squad oozing class with Carlos Alcaraz, Stuart Armstrong, Sekou Mara and more all capable of conjuring up moments of magic slotted into the team behind Adam Armstrong leading the line.
Yet, Carvalho has the nous of winning promotion from this division on his CV which automatically puts him above the plethora of attacking talent already available to Martin and he will want to add another promotion to his resume come the end of his stint with Southampton.
Scoring ten times and assisting a further eight strikes during Fulham’s title-winning 2021-22 campaign, Carvalho would be perfect for the promising Southampton side assembled by Martin as a creative force who can also chip in with a goal here and there when required.
It’s why Liverpool decided to gamble on signing the Portuguese hotshot off the back of this breakthrough season, Jurgen Klopp praising the 21-year-old’s attitude since joining Anfield as “unbelievable” despite not being afforded lots of game time for the Reds when quizzed on his happiness last campaign.
This loan move could, however, see Fraser fall down the pecking order, one loanee excelling whilst another is pushed to the fringes.
This campaign for Southampton, Fraser has been largely limited to coming off the bench and making an impact – only starting four games in total – but has shown signs of his Premier League class with four goals managed since joining from Newcastle United, which included a brace on Boxing Day.
But, with Carvalho’s potential arrival to the south coast unsettling the status quo, competition for places will really heat up and Fraser won’t be guaranteed plentiful game time despite his recent upturn in form.
It’s a dilemma Martin will have to work out soon, but the £40k-per-week man joining the promotion hopefuls is however a no-brainer to give the second tier side a further boost in their promotion pursuit.
