Yann Karamoh Could Be A Smart Signing For Southampton And Here’s Why
Southampton are hoping to seal the transfer of French youngster Yann Karamoh from SM Caen, according to reports from the Sun.
The 19-year old attacker has been monitored by fellow Premier League side Arsenal as well according to the report. Dubbed as the new “Kylian Mbappe”, Karamoh has just one year left on his contract with Caen and is currently embroiled in negotiations with the club. The club are keen on cashing in on the youngster, and a fee in the range of £8.75million has been quoted for his services.
Southampton haven’t been active in the summer, and are yet to make any inroads into the transfer market. Despite finishing a solid 8th in the Premier League last season, the Saints decided to get rid of manager Claude Puel at the end of the season and have appointed Mauricio Pellegrino as the new head coach.
The 45-year old Argentine is still in his early days at the club and hasn’t assessed his squad completely, which could be one of the reasons for their inactivity in the transfer market. However, they did sell one of their players last month, with forward Jay Rodriguez making the switch from the South Coast club to West Bromwich Albion for £12million.
A replacement for the Englishman is something that the club will be keen on bringing in over the course of the next few months and Karamoh fits the bill perfectly.
Able to play as a striker or on the flanks, the 19-year old can be an effective utility man for Pellegrino. Last season, the youngster featured 35 times for Caen in the Ligue1, scoring 5 goals and assisting 4 more, as the club finished just above the relegation zone at 17th place. He was widely used on the right flank by manager Patrice Garande.
Possessing great pace and equally good dribbling abilities, Karamoh has shown great confidence at such a young age and always backs himself to beat his man in the wide areas. Capable of stretching the defence wide down the touch line or cutting in on his left-foot, the France youth international brings a lot of variety to the attack and is a hard man to tie down. Despite being just 19 years of age, Karamoh has shown great maturity and decision-making on the ball.
Capable of create chances for his teammates and score a few by himself, the Frenchman has the necessary traits to succeed in England. There are a few chinks in his armour, much like any youngster bursting on to the scenes – his finishing is a bit of a letdown at times, while he needs to improve on his aerial abilities as well.
But at £8.75million, Southampton will be getting their hands on a talent who has all the makings of a star and can turn out to be a huge player for the club in the years to come. By signing Karamoh, they will be effectively replacing Jay Rodriguez as well. There are only positives from this deal for the Saints and they should look to get it wrapped up at the earliest.