Southampton fans are impressed by hearing a flurry of praises for transfer target Lucas Cepeda but they must remain cautious of a Guido Carrillo repeat too.
Though Southampton are casting their transfer nets around wing players, it's hard to disagree that Gonzalo Jara is the one maintaining their Lucas Cepeda desire. And word of mouth transfers mostly go down well, thus, the Saints appear willing enough to see out this chase to the end.
Still, as faint Largie Ramazani speculations started doing the rounds ahead of the weekend, Southampton have been handed another timely reminder for the Chilean wonderkid.
Boasting about the 22-year-old's adaptability credentials, his midfield counterpart Tomas Alarcon was quoted by ADN Radio saying: "If he's playing for Colo-Colo, he's ready to play anywhere due to the pressure and the greatness of this club."
Cepeda expected to do better than failed signing Carrillo
Keeping aside Cepeda's on-field genius, he must be given due credit for crafting a pleasant dressing room bond which is an admirable trait in every coach's eyes. So, is that enough for him to make the cut at Southampton? For now, it's difficult to nod but easier to rule out.
That's because the signing scares stem from another such marquee South American's St. Mary's arrival. And the forgotten flop we're talking about is £19m recruit Guido Carrillo who had the Saints fans imagining him to become anyone but a fringe squad member.
On top of that, previous Southampton boss Mauricio Pellegrino didn't leave any stone unturned in showcasing him as the club's newest attacking superstar. Barely racking up double-digit appearances and a couple of subpar loan spells were the only notable displays from his Saints tenure and a free agent departure only added to those fan frustrations.
Agreed, Cepeda going the Carrillo route won't be a massive blow to Southampton's pockets but offloading inconsistent players isn't a cakewalk task by any means. Rest, let's see how much the board weighs this move on the risk scale.