Southampton signed Cyle Larin on loan from RCD Mallorca on winter deadline day.
The forward spent the first half of the season on loan at Feyenoord. He managed a goal and an assist from 402 minutes from 15 matches for the Eredivisie side.
Prior to his move to Southampton, Sport Witness covered claims of the 30-year-old being unhappy at Feyenoord. He pushed for an exit and was able to secure a temporary move to St Mary’s.
The Canada international came off the bench to score the winner in the Saints’ 1-0 win over Watford. He missed the Championship clash against Leicester City due to an injury.
Última Hora looks at his loan move to Southampton and what the Spanish club are hoping for.
The newspaper says his goal against Watford has helped him quickly win over the English club’s fans.
Larin failed to achieve this at Mallorca, a club he joined in August 2023. Their supporters booed him in his last few matches for the La Liga side. Mallorca sporting director Pablo Ortells recently talked about his situation with their fans last season.
“We have to do everything possible to get Cyle back to the level he was at. I still think he’s a player with tremendous potential. Last season, in terms of minutes played, goals, and assists, he didn’t have such a bad season,” he said.
“At the end of the season, as we all know, there wasn’t that good feeling with the fans, and the decision was made to let him go.”
Eagerness for Southampton to buy
Tonda Eckert’s side have secured a purchase option. According to the report, the Spanish club are desperate for Larin to have a successful loan spell at St Mary’s, so that Southampton can make his stay permanent.
Mallorca need this not only to recover part of the €7.5m invested to sign him but also to get rid of Larin’s high salary.
Última Hora claim the Canadian [along with Vedat Muriqi] is Mallorca’s highest paid player. He earns over €4m gross per year and Larin’s permanent exit will free up their wage bill.
Therefore, the La Liga side need Southampton to buy Larin. It’s probably early for Eckert’s side to make a decision on retaining him.
