Ex-Saints keeper Paulo Gazzaniga endures a forgettable season opener for Girona, picking up a red card after a series of comical errors in the defeat to Rayo Vallecano.
Tracking down the line, it's been quite some days since Southampton saw itself involved in a keeping recruitment rumour. And while expectedly those interests should have faded 3 games into the season, Gavin Bazunu's shaky displays keep Saints redirecting towards the concern.
Taking the most recent example, Bazunu's Ipswich show can't be summarised as anything except 'sloppy'. To the extent that, even barring the mix-up on the own goal, Saints fans would have considered themselves fortunate to return with a point from the road.
But intriguingly, Bazunu's not the only one suffering, which rather feels a collective dry run for Saints keepers. Days ago, Aaron Ramsdale was on the receiving end, and now, it's another ex-Saint who endures a horrendous fate.
He's the former third-choice shot stopper at Southampton and current Girona starter Paulo Gazzaniga.
For those unfamiliar with him, Gazzaniga, like every other Saints keeper, had an impressive CV with multiple Top Flight clubs on it. Yet, that didn't help him anyway beyond spending his St. Mary's stay in the shadow of iconic Saint Fraser Forster.
Positively, still, that remains a thing of the past for the keeper, who has established himself as the first-choice at Girona for 2 years now. But feels like his fate matched tunings with his previous forgettable Premier League timeline, when he kicked off the new season recently.
Gazzaniga kickoffs the new season in the worst possible fashion
That's because, despite having made 100+ appearances for Girona, Gazzaniga made beginner-level mistakes against Rayo Vallecano. Firstly, fumbling away a silly goal in the 18th minute, the Argentine conceded again within the next 2 minutes.
And to top it off, came the 43rd minute, where the former Saint pulled off the most unnecessary challenge, leading to a penalty for the opponents and a straight red card for him. Needless to say, Rayo capitalised on the opportunity, leading 3-0 until the half-time, the scoreline which ended as 3-1 in their favour ultimately.
Strangely, the worst is yet to come, as Gazzaniga's red card replacement, Vladyslav Krapyvtsov, had a blistering evening. Within his little over 45-minute appearance, the young glovesman felt a lasting impact, earning his spot for the next game in Gazzaniga's suspension.
Thankfully, that doesn't rule out Gazzaniga from Girona boss Michel's plans, with the keeper certain to reclaim the starting spot upon his return straightaway. Yet, what it surely does is ring alarm bells for the ex-Saint, who must regain his 2023/24 season form to keep continuing as the undisputed starter.