Southampton have moved for Divin Mubama. Fabrizio Romano reported a verbal agreement for a season-long loan from Manchester City, and now the deal has been confirmed on the club website.
Saints have wanted a number nine since Ross Stewart joined Swansea City. Mubama is the man being entrusted to ease that shortage.
Southampton open the Championship season with a minus-four points deficit, which makes goals precious in a promotion push.
What the fans actually think
The mood on the Southampton fan forum leans positive without tipping into giddiness. One supporter kept it short with "good signing", while another said he liked the deal "on paper".
Plenty welcomed the club using the loan market at last. A fan pointed out that Saints skipped it a year ago before mid-season arrivals proved its worth.
Their main worry is a simple one. Few want Mubama handed the Stewart role on his own.
Several would rather he arrived as competition, with another striker still to come. One forum regular put it plainly. As a third-choice forward he would be "totally for this", though "much, much less so" as a like-for-like replacement.
Not everyone is sold, though. A fan said flatly that he would "hate" this to be the Stewart signing, while others worry a lone Championship loan does little for a thin attack.
Fitness is another worry for some. He barely featured after January last term. That stop-start finish sits uneasily with a side already short of strikers.
A talent worth the gamble
There is substance behind the optimism. Coverage of last season's youth final called Mubama "phenomenal" after his display against the young Saints.
His league season with Stoke tells a steadier story. Mubama scored five times for the Potters before an ankle injury ended his campaign in January.
Fans flagged that stop-start finish on the forum. One confirmed he went back to City for treatment.
Even so, his FotMob rating of 6.53 held up for a young forward finding his feet in the division.
There is a ready-made mentor in the building too. Cyle Larin came in on loan last January and made such a mark that Saints turned the deal permanent.
A young forward could learn plenty from how the Canadian bedded into the Championship. Sharing a dressing room with a proven number nine is a great opportunity for Mubama.
The route into the club is smartly thought through. Fans have warned against paying seven-figure fees for City's academy graduates, so a loan makes the talent available while avoiding that outlay.
He would sharpen the fight up front too. Damion Downs and Cameron Archer (while he is still on the payroll) both have a point to prove, which keeps the pressure on any newcomer.
Supporters have this about right. Welcome the loan as shrewd, low-cost depth, but keep pushing for a striker who can lead the line.
Under Cyle Larin's wing, Mubama can only improve.
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