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Enough is enough – It is high time for Southampton to offload this £14million flop

Southampton should definitely offload Manolo Gabbiadini

After making a delightful start to life in the Premier League, Southampton striker Manolo Gabbiadini has turned into a fringe figure over the last year. Having joined from Napoli on a £14million deal, Gabbiadini kicked off his Saints career with back-to-back braces in the Premier League. However,  his form has rapidly deteriorated and the Italian is now a constant bench warmer in the squad.

Mark Hughes also brought in Liverpool striker Danny Ings on a season-long in the summer, subject to be made permanent next summer. Gabbiadini has made just 1 start and 4 substitute appearances so far, playing a total of 141 minutes this term.

The roles up front have been shared between Shane Long, Charlie Austin and new signing Danny Ings. The Liverpool loanee is the only striker to have scored for the Saints this season and the others are yet to find their form.

Ings has made a splendid start to life at St. Mary’s and his arrival has certainly pushed Gabbiadini further below the pecking order. At this point, it would seem best for the club to part ways with the Italian hitman.

The former Napoli forward has been far too inconsistent and has lacked threat going forward. The likes of Charlie Austin and Shane Long are proven Premier League goal-scorers and provide ample cover and depth to this Southampton side.

It’s hard to see the Italian making his way back – unless at least two of the strikers succumb to injuries. The 26-year-old has been in this bad patch for a while now. Gabbiadini managed just 5 goals in 28 league appearances last season but he should be credited for notching the Saints’ most crucial goal that helped them maintain their status as a Premier League outfit.

He will always be remembered for that but the Premier League just doesn’t seem to suit his style of play. In his few appearances this season, Gabbiadini has managed just 3 shots on target. He has also averaged a poor pass success rate of 63.3% in the league. (Stats Courtesy – Whoscored)

Read more: Who is this £5m Ghanaian on Southampton’s radar? The man to solve their goalscoring woes?

It would be best for Southampton to cash in on the player and invest that money in other key areas of the squad. The Saints have made a poor start to their season and have struggled to get going in the final third as well. The South Coast club definitely need to offload Gabbiadini and strengthen their ranks in January.