The Southampton signing who would be an even better bargain than Cyle Larin

Southampton fans would have hoped that Cyle Larin's stabbed home strike in the second half of their 2-1 defeat against Watford was going to kickstart a late comeback for their dear side.

Instead, the Saints succumbed to a disappointing opening day defeat in the Championship, as the Canadian striker's 56th-minute goal ended up just being a consolation effort to cling onto for some comfort.

The one-time Orlando City marksman will be keeping his fingers crossed that the goals keep coming on his end, but that further goals result in wins also being secured.

Saints supporters packed into the Vicarage Road away end would have wanted a lot more from the likes of Lewis Dobbin in the attacking areas versus the Hornets, but Larin's display would have raised a rare smile, as he continues to stick out as a potent steal.

Larin sticks out as a bargain buy

Larin might not be the most fashionable attacker, next to the more flashy and younger names in the Championship such as Mohamed Toure or Will Lankshear, but he definitely knows where the back of the net is.

Indeed, his instinctive strike against Watford - which only had a 0.25 expected goals number attached to the chance - showed off an attacker who isn't always involved in the game, but can still finish off a golden opportunity expertly.

While Lankshear has cost Middlesbrough around the £20m range, Larin rejoined the St. Mary's ranks this summer permanently for a low-cost £2.5m, and he's already off the mark for Eckert and Co. this season.

From his last 11 Championship starts, in regular season action, the Brampton Bagsman has a blistering nine goals next to his name.

To add context, Lankshear has 13 goals in second tier action overall from 56 career games, yet cost a lot more than the 31-year-old's cheap arrival through the door in early June.

With a whopping 127 career goals under his belt, too, playing for a wide array of teams all over the globe, Larin could be considered in with a shout of winning the golden boot honour, come the end of the long, painstaking 46-game campaign.

For just £2.5m, the Saints have won a natural born goalscorer, but, amazingly, a different cut price deal on their agenda could be an even better bargain than the ex-Mallorca striker's return if pulled off.

Saints could seal better bargain than Larin with this signing

Cold water has been poured over rumours that Taylor Harwood-Bellis could be moving out to Portugal with Benfica.

Indeed, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has broken the news that Marco Silva's men are now in talks to sign Australian centre-back, Alessandro Circati, from Parma, with a move for Harwood-Bellis perhaps put on the back burner, subsequently.

Even if the Stockport-born colossus is set to stay after all, the Saints should still prioritise a defensive addition, with Jack Stephens putting in a horror show of a performance against Watford, when his mis-hit clearance allowed Iker Bravo to break the deadlock.

After committing that error, the Hornets seized control of the contest, meaning the addition of Anel Ahmedhozic would significantly strengthen their grit at the back, if a move were to be agreed.

Reports suggest that the Bosnian could be available for as low as £4m this summer transfer window, as he eyes up a move away from Feyenoord, and this would be a outrageously cheap price to pay for such a Championship accomplished defender.

Ultimately, securing Larin's signature was initially a gamble, as he had never played on English shores during his nomadic career, before making the loan move.

Whereas, adding in Ahmedhodzic would not be a gamble at all, as he already has 73 Championship appearances to shout about.

When he was at Sheffield United, he also helped the Blades win promotion up to the Premier League, with a stunning 16 clean sheets tallied up during the 2022/23 campaign which ended in automatic promotion, from just 34 league outings.

Scoring six times, too, during that unforgettable season in South Yorkshire, having both the dominant 27-year-old, and Harwood-Bellis at their disposal at the back would be a joke, particularly if the 24-time Bosnia and Herzegovina international was to be won at such a slashed cost.

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