Earlier this week, we discussed media rumors tying Carlos Alcaraz to Newcastle United, which generated further conjecture that Brentford were also interested in the Argentine forward; now, Saints have made a statement of desire.
Most people did not take the rumours in the media about Newcastle tracking Charly Alcatraz seriously because there are still three months until the January transfer window begins.
However, as we have seen in the past, some of the Big 7 clubs like to start upsetting a player early on. A few well-placed reports by media loyal to the club may go a long way towards creating a situation in which the player himself gets uneasy and craves the move.
The buying club can then use this to try to force the selling club to accept a lower price in order to get rid of a player who clearly wants to leave.
But, as Newcastle saw in the summer, we were not in the mood to sell Tino Livramento to them at their asking price; their pitiful initial offer of roughly £12 million was rejected outright, and we made it clear that we would not be taken advantage of.
However, it was still a surprise on Friday evening when Southampton revealed that Alcaraz had signed a new five-year contract at St Mary’s. After all, he had only signed his initial contract with the club 10 months prior.
This was a statement from Saints that they are taking this promotion push seriously and want to keep their finest players.
Some may argue that the club simply did this to ensure a higher fee for Alcaraz in January or even next summer, but the fact in this agreement is that the headline is bigger than the reality.
Alcaraz’s initial contract ran through the summer of 2027; this deal just extends it by a year; if Southampton were determined to sell the player, there was no need to prolong his contract.
So, why did they do it? The reason is that they want to keep the player but recognize that he is being paid less than his worth to the team and, of course, what Newcastle is dangling in his direction.
This is about caring after the player first and foremost, and acknowledging his value; if Saints were to accept a large offer for him in January, there would be no use in spending good money on paying him extra for a few months.
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