Tete in action for Lyon
Southampton’s interest in Shakhtar Donetsk winger Tete could be reignited, according to Dean Jones.
The Lowdown: Failed move
Southampton previously held interest in the Brazilian winger, with 90min reporting back in March that the Saints were set to sign him ahead of a host of other interested Premier League sides.
However, the deal failed to happen after the Premier League blocked FIFA’s mid-season ruling that foreign players from Ukrainian and Russian sides could leave their teams mid-season due to the ongoing problems in the region.
The Latest: Chance to resurrect
Lyon instead swooped, but it looks like his loan spell at the Groupama Stadium is set to come to an end, reigniting the interest of English sides, notably Southampton.
Jones told GiveMeSport that he wouldn’t be surprised if the Saints were to once again go back in for the 22-year-old.
“It wouldn’t surprise me if they were going back over some previous targets, it is clubs that get into a situation like this that often do that, because they have such extensive scouting already done on these players and they know the roles that they were looking for, so that wouldn’t surprise me.”
The Verdict: Bring him in
Interestingly, the winger was valued at €70m (£62m) back in 2020, so it remains to be seen as to how much the Saints may have to pay now but it doesn’t look as if he will be a cheap option.
Southampton are currently embroiled in a battle to survive in the top flight with the Saints currently bottom of the league after five straight defeats, seeing no new manager bounce occurring under Nathan Jones.
Tete has bagged six goals and three assists in Ligue 1 this season – which would make him the top scorer and top provider at St Mary’s – following on from nine goals in 17 Ukrainian Premier Liga games last season.
Attacking options are severely limited on the south coast, while their output of only 15 goals scored in 17 games contributing to the third-worst goal difference in the league.
We think the Saints need a spark, and what better than bringing in some Brazilian flair to inspire a second-half-of-the-season comeback to beat the drop, with noted scout Jacek Kulig dubbing him “very talented”.
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