Southampton announce Willy Caballero signing after injury crisis

Southampton have announced the signing of former Chelsea and Manchester City goalkeeper Willy Caballero on a short-term contract.

The Argentine has signed terms on a one-month deal and is set to remain at St Mary’s until the 5th January to help deal with the injury crisis that has arisen at the club.

Southampton goalkeepers Fraser Forster and Alex McCarthy have both picked up injuries recently and this leaves Harry Lewis as the only senior shot-stopper in Ralph Hasenhuttl’s squad for upcoming games.

According to the official signing statement released on southamptonfc.com, Caballero has been training with AFC Wimbledon in a bid to retain his fitness after being released by Chelsea at the end of last season.

Much-needed experience added to young squad by Southampton

The most important thing that Caballero provides is cover in a time of need for Southampton with their two main goalkeepers out for a short period of time.

With five more games upcoming in December, it is crucial that Saints are able to maintain a high level of performance if they feel their backup goalkeepers are not up to scratch.

At 40-years-old, Caballero is very much at the back end of his career. However, a goalkeeper can continue to perform to high levels in their late thirties and the fact that he was still a part of the Chelsea squad last season means that he will still be aware of the levels required to play in the Premier League.

In all, he made 86 appearances across spells at Chelsea and Manchester City and was part of successful squads at both clubs.

Southampton currently have a very young squad and are looking for their young players to keep their Premier League status with very little experience around them. Perhaps Caballero’s introduction, if only for a short time, can help secure some good results for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side.