Russell Martin is keen to add another striker to his Southampton squad prior to the transfer window closing, which has seen the club explore a move for Corinthians striker Yuri Alberto.
Southampton scored their first goals of the season as they beat Cardiff City 5-3 in the Carabao Cup second round on Wednesday night.
Before that rotated side struck five, Russell Martin had watched his Saints side succumb to 1-0 defeats to both Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.
This suggests two things: a lack of creativity and a lack of firepower.
Attacking midfielder Mateus Fernandes went some way to showing he can provide both with a goalscoring display in his first start against Cardiff, but Martin still wants to add another centre-forward to his ranks.
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That has seen Southampton focus their attentions on Yuri Alberto of Corinthians, with reports of an initial £2.5 million loan deal with a £15 million obligation to buy next summer being offered.
Brazilian football expert provides insight on Southampton target Yuri Alberto
Southampton fans who do not follow South American football may not know too much about 23-year-old Alberto, who has one cap for Brazil.
In order to find out what Southampton fans can expect, we spoke to Vamo Futebol journalist Henrique Toth who is an expert on all things Brazilian football.
Toth first provided some context behind Alberto’s situation at Corinthians, as he explained: “The relationship between Yuri Alberto and Corinthians, especially their fans, is one of love and hate.
“However, I believe this speaks more about Corinthians’ situation at the moment than about Alberto. Corinthians are 18th in the Brazilian Championship and are experiencing a political crisis off the field.”
Toth explained that Alberto was revered at Santos – the club for whom he came through the academy – and was put in the same category as Neymar as a youngster.
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The Brazilian expert then described the striker’s career path up until this point, explaining: “Internacional de Porto Alegre bought him in 2020.
“His performances there were very promising: 11 goals in 29 games in 2020 and 19 goals in 55 games in 2021.
In the following season, however, he was sold to Zenit in Russia who paid €25 million in January 2022 but only played 15 games on Russian soil [due to the war with Ukraine].
“In the same year, however, he was loaned to Corinthians.
“There were 11 goals in 28 games playing on loan at Corinthians. His performance was good and that made the Corinthians board want to buy him permanently.”
What is Southampton target Yuri Alberto’s playing style?
Now we know more about the journey that has taken Alberto to the brink of a potential move to the Premier League with Southampton, we asked Toth what fans could expect should a deal be completed.
Toth described Alberto as an “ambidextrous striker” before going on to explain: “If Southampton fans expect a classic centre forward, who plays with his back to the marker, that’s not what they’ll find in him.
“His characteristics are more about attacking space, carrying the ball. He’s a good second striker.”
Toth did issue a warning, though, as he said: “In 2024, despite experiencing his best season in terms of goals for Corinthians (16 in 38 games), Alberto has suffered criticism.
“Really, he has missed A LOT of chances. He even joked after missing a huge chance in Corinthians’ last game, in the defeat to Fortaleza, that: “The goal is missing, man. I even apologise for laughing, this is not the time. But the goal is missing.”
Despite that, Toth rates Alberto as a player, concluding: “He’s good! He has a lot of determination, he plays for the team, defends up front, puts pressure on the defenders… But his confidence needs to be regained.”
There is certainly an element of risk around a deal for Alberto, with no guarantee that he will hit the ground running in England.
However, if he does settle quickly he could just provide the spark Southampton have been missing in the final third.