Southampton have reportedly been scouting several Braga games in recent weeks and now forward Ricardo Horta is being linked with Newcastle, so should they join the race?
According to Record, as transcribed by Sport Witness, Newcastle are interested in a deal to sign Horta, who has a release clause of €30m.
Sport Witness point out that Southampton have scouted Braga numerous times and could be one of the teams keen on signing Horta.
With Newcastle seemingly chasing a deal for the forward, should Southampton now swoop in and make a move? If the reports are to be believed and scouts were watching Braga, it will be interesting to see if Horta has caught their attention.
On paper, he appears to be an impressive player and could be a good addition to Southampton’s squad. So far this season, Horta has produced 11 goals and four assists in all competition’s for Braga, including two strikes in the Europa League.
Outside of Danny Ings, Southampton’s top scorer in all competitions this season is James Ward-Prowse with just four goals. Ings has found the back of the net 18 times and been Southampton’s main source for goals, with no other major contributors in the squad.
This means that adding a forward who can score goals could improve Southampton’s team. It could lift some of the weight off Ings’ shoulders and help Southampton to move further up the table, with goals coming from other areas of the pitch.
Horta’s goal tally for Braga suggests that he could add more of a threat in the final third than Southampton’s other attacking midfielders, with Nathan Redmond – on three – the top scorer out of all of Ralph Hasenhuttl’s wide options.
The Portuguese international is also only 25, which means that he is not the finished article just yet and could be hitting his peak over the coming years. This means that Hasenhuttl could coach and develop him over time to fit his system at St. Mary’s.
This is why Southampton should look to join the race for Horta in order to bolster their squad in the summer window. He could add more firepower to their attacking options, whilst still holding potential for development and resale value in the future.
