In our latest ‘Where are they now?’ article, we’re going to take a look at former Southampton goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga.
The Argentine shot-stopper joined Southampton from Gillingham in 2012 upon the club’s promotion to the Premier League. He made nine appearances in the 2012/13 campaign, going on to play just 21 Premier League games in five years at the club.
He then left the club in the summer of 2017 on a free transfer upon the expiry of his Southampton contract. Gazzaniga was snapped up by fellow Premier League side Tottenham, where he is currently playing.
Was it the right decision by Southampton to let him go? At the time Southampton released him, Gazzaniga was 24 and valued (by Transfermarkt) at £900k.
Since joining Tottenham, Gazzaniga’s value has steadily increased over time and he is now worth £3.15m at the age of 28, which is still fairly young for a goalkeeper.
This shows that Gazzaniga is improving with age and starting to live up to his potential as a goalkeeper. He has been given more game time at Tottenham this season, making 25 appearances in all competitions – including 18 in the Premier League.
Allowing him to leave on a free transfer appears as though it has backfired on Southampton. The club went on to sign Angus Gunn from Manchester City for £13.5m, but he has recorded a WhoScored rating of 6.19 in the Premier League, while Gazzaniga has managed a score of 6.72 for Tottenham in all competitions. This means that Southampton may have been better off saving their £13.5m and keeping Gazzaniga at the club instead.
