£19m.
That could’ve got you nine-and-a-half Michu’s.
That could’ve also got you two Andy Robertson’s with £3m to spare.
It could even have bought you 19 Jamie Vardy’s.
In Southampton’s case, £19m got them Guido Carrillo, and that deal is looking like the Saints’ worst transfer move in many, many years.
The Argentine striker was signed by Mauricio Pellegrino towards the end of January 2018 as the South Coast side looked to avoid relegation to the Championship, with Carrillo presumably seen as the club’s saviour who would score the goals to preserve their Premier League status.
How wrong they were.
We’re not even sure what the Saints saw in Carrillo. The 28-year-old had only scored five goals for Monaco in that 2017/18 season before Pellegrino signed him, and has only ever scored 64 career goals with over half of those coming in his native Argentina.
Despite that, he was signed for a then club-record fee of £19m but has only ever made 10 appearances for the club.
In those 10 appearances, Carrillo didn’t find the back of the net a single time, although he did set up two goals whilst also receiving one yellow card – not like that changes anything.
Carrillo spend the entirety of last season out on loan with La Liga side Leganes, who are nicknamed ‘Los Pepineros’, which translates to ‘The Cucumber Growers’.
Even with The Cucumber Growers, Carrillo scored just six goals in 33 appearances, ensuring that he returned to the South Coast with a strike rate of a goal every 5.5 games.
For some reason, the Spanish side are reportedly looking to re-sign the striker before the transfer window closes for European clubs on September 2nd, and the Saints should welcome absolutely any approach for their £19m flop.
Given how much he cost the club and his minimal contribution, Carrillo can easily be deemed as Southampton’s worst signing in many, many years.