Comments made by former Southampton Sporting Director Jason Wilcox in January could provide a clue as to what the club plan to do with one of their players this summer.
Jason Wilcox was appointed as the Southampton Sporting Director following the club’s relegation from the Premier League at the end of the 2023/24 season.
This move was part of a major reshuffle behind the scenes from owners Sport Republic and it was Wilcox who identified Russell Martin as the manager to take the club forward in the Championship.
Wilcox left the Saints after less than a season in the role to take the newly-created Technical Director role at Manchester United following the takeover at Old Trafford in April.
However, comments made just months before his exit in January about Carlos Alcaraz could shed light on the stance Southampton are likely to take with the midfielder this summer.
Southampton could welcome Carlos Alcaraz return after Jason Wilcox comments
Southampton only signed Alcaraz in January 2023, paying Racing Club £12 million for the then-20-year-old’s signature.
Having moved from his homeland at such a young age, many would have expected Alcaraz to take time to adapt, but the Argentine was one of Southampton’s few bright performers as they suffered relegation from the Premier League.
However, following Martin’s arrival, Alcaraz found out difficult to tie down a regular spot in the side and was allowed to join Juventus in a surprise loan move in January.
At the time, Wilcox commented on the deal, hinting that the door remained open for a return despite an option to buy clause for £43 million included in the loan.
Wilcox said on the deal for Alcaraz, affectionally nicknamed ‘Charly, in January: “Allowing Charly to leave on loan was a decision that we have been deliberating on for some time, but Russell, Phil and our ownership group are all in agreement that this is the right move for Charly at this time.
“Considering the midfield options we have available to us right now, and Charly’s lack of game time, we wanted to allow him this chance to gain some valuable experience in one of the top leagues in Europe.
“Juventus are a huge club and we are convinced that this move will allow Charly the opportunity to flourish and then come back and be a success at Southampton.”
Could Alcaraz be reintegrated into Southampton squad?
Alcaraz saw Stuart Armstrong favoured in his attacking midfield position at Southampton last season.
When he did start, it was primarily in a false nine role as Martin tried a number of different variations to the side early in the campaign.
Martin did not trust the youngster to carry out his instructions and cited the language barrier as a reason Alcaraz did not feature much early in the season, as he said: “I see the players every day. When you are asking people to play a certain way – Charly is a young man and doesn’t speak the language well, if at all.
“We are asking him to play in a team with a lot of structure and there are things he knows he needs to do better.
“I said to Gilly [Matt Gill, assistant manager] that I will get criticised for not bringing him on, but it’s about who you trust at this moment in time. You’re either all in with the team or you’re not. At the minute, Charly needs to come over to that side really.”
However, with Juventus passing on the opportunity to make Alcaraz’ deal permanent, the player faces an uncertain future.
Martin rates the qualities Alcaraz possesses but his talents are perhaps better suited to a more transition-focused side than Southampton’s possession-based approach.
After Alcaraz started his first game in over a month in the 3-1 home win over Leeds United in September, Martin’s comments suggest the door could remain open for a return this summer, as he told the Daily Echo: “We wanted Charly in the team because he has trained so well.
“His mentality has been great. I put him in a role that suits him more than the other ones he has played in recently. We wanted to free him up a little bit.
“We did that I think – he was amazing with it. We sat down a lot this week and went through it and watched a lot of clips. His understanding of it was really good.
“I’m really proud of him and really pleased for him. “He was outstanding”.
With Armstrong leaving upon the expiration of his contract, perhaps Martin could find a way to reintegrate Alcaraz this summer so that Southampton can benefit from his obvious talent.