Southampton set to sign free agent Willy Caballero after goalkeeper injury crisis
By Dan Sheldon and Simon Johnson
5 December 2021Updated 22:21 GMT
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Southampton are set to sign Willy Caballero on a short-term deal.
The former Manchester City and Chelsea goalkeeper has been without a club since the summer and will join the St Mary’s side as a free agent.
Both Alex McCarthy and Fraser Forster are injured and the club’s only alternative was to deploy Harry Lewis in goal against Arsenal.
But they couldn’t afford to go into a run of key matches with only one goalkeeper, which is why they moved for Caballero.
The 40-year-old Argentine has been training with AFC Wimbledon to keep himself fit and key figures at the club acted quickly to wrap up a deal on Sunday.
Caballero was keen to join as soon as he heard about the opportunity and one of the key attractions for Southampton was that his style will fit into the club’s goalkeeping playbook.
McCarthy sustained a hamstring issue during the 1-1 draw against Brighton on Saturday, with Fraser Forster left out of the squad due to a muscle problem.
(Photo: Manu Fernandez - Pool/Getty Images)
Why did Hasenhuttl criticise McCarthy?
The Austrian was extremely critical of McCarthy after Brighton’s Neal Maupay scored a 98th-minute equaliser to snatch a point against Southampton.
“This is why we couldn’t play out (from the back) in the second half, but I didn’t know how tough it (the injury) was,” Hasenhuttl said. “I thought he only couldn’t play the long ball, so I kept him in goal. If I would do it again, I would change it. But I couldn’t because I didn’t have the message.
“This is something we cannot accept. There must be a message, and then we can make a change. I still had one change in hand, and I can change the goalkeeper if necessary. Alex must be more professional, and this is what I missed today.”
What is Caballero’s reputation?
A back-up keeper for almost the entirety of his time in England, save for a short spell replacing Joe Hart at City, Caballero has nonetheless won a reputation as a dependable shot-stopper.
He brings extensive experience, and started several games for Chelsea as recently as 2019-20 when Kepa Arrizabalaga suffered a slump in form.
While there have been some doubts about the accuracy of his long kicking throughout his career, particularly by former manager Pep Guardiola, it’s difficult to see where Southampton could have found a higher quality option for any lower cost.
Whats not to like? 
