Southampton look like they are close to agreeing a deal to sign free agent defender Martin Caceres, according to reports.
The 29-year-old left Juventus at the end of last season and is currently looking for a new club and it appears that Claude Puel is interested in bringing him to St Mary’s
There has been reported interest in the defender from AC Milan, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Inter Milan and West Brom but nothing has come from any of that and Uruguayan looks set to move to the Saints.
Southampton lost Jose Fonte in the January transfer window whilst Virgil Van Dijk is set for a prolonged spell on the sidelines with an injury, so it makes sense for Puel to be looking at defensive reinforcements, especially as reported January target Mamadou Sakho moved to Crystal Palace on loan.
We’ve taken an in-depth look at the man who could be Southampton’s newest star so those of you who may not be totally familiar with him can learn a bit more about him:
Basic Info & Career Path
Martin Caceres is a 29-year-old defender from Uruguay. He began his career with hometown club Defensor Sporting before moving to Villarreal. However, he never appeared for the Yellow Submarine as he was immediately loaned to Recreativo de Huelva.
He then signed for Barcelona for around €16m, but hardly featured due to injuries and competition for places.
He was loaned out to Sevilla and Juventus before signing permanently with Sevilla. He spent a season in Spain before going to Juve, firstly on loan then permanently.
International Status
Caceres played just 11 games for Uruguay’s U20 side before being given his first full cap in 2007, aged 20.
He’s gone on to earn 68 caps and has played in two World Cups.
Position Flexibility
Whilst Caceres’ favoured position is at centre back, he can also operate as a left or right back.
Injuries
Caceres has found his career somewhat stalled due to injuries, although they weren’t necessarily due to him being ‘injury prone’ as such.
In 2011, he suffered a lacerated kidney after a bad tackle and was in a bad way. He was initially ruled out for the whole season but somehow recovered to play in Sevilla’s final two games.
In 2015, he missed more time after fracturing his ankle in training.
Finally, the Uruguayan has just recovered from an Achilles tendon rupture, an injury which was partly to blame for him leaving Juve.
Off Field Issue
The injury isn’t the only reason as to why Caceres left Juventus. He was suspended by the club and banned from driving for six months after crashing his Ferrari into a bus stop whilst allegedly under the influence of alcohol.
Stats
Caceres has been a professional for 12 years and has played a total of 249 games. This averages at around 21 games per season, which is quite low. Injuries and competition for places are the maid reasons for his rather low games per season average.
He’s scored 15 goals in his career too, which works out about one goal every 16 games. Southampton aren’t exactly known for scoring a lot of goals so even two or three a season would be most welcome!
Honours
It’s always good to have winners in your squad and Caceres is certainly a winner.
He had five Serie A winners’ medals, and has also won La Liga, the Copa Del Rey, two Coppa Italias and the Champions League.