Manolo Gabbiadini to Southampton: Latest Transfer Details, Comments and Reaction

Southampton have snapped up Napoli forward Manolo Gabbiadini on a four-and-a-half year deal.

The club confirmed his capture on Tuesday, via their official Twitter account:

Gabbiadini spent two years at Napoli and previously had spells with Atalanta, Sampdoria and Bologna.

The 25-year-old Italy international was frequently used as a back-up to Gonzalo Higuain in 2015-16, and so his first-team opportunities were limited—he largely made brief cameos in Serie A and started just four matches.

Nevertheless, he notched nine goals and three assists in just 982 minutes of play in all competitions last season—contributing to a goal every 82 minutes. The previous campaign he enjoyed more substantial game time and bagged 20 goals for Sampdoria and Napoli, whom he joined in January 2015.

Gabbiadini typically plays as a centre-forward or on the right, but he has also provided cover in a supporting role. You can check out some of his highlights from last season here:

This season, he has struggled to shine despite Higuain's departure to Juventus—competing with Jose Callejon, Lorenzo Insigne and Arkadiusz Milik for game time. He's netted three goals in 13 Serie A appearances this term, according to WhoScored.com

A move to Saints could benefit him, and he should have a greater opportunity to showcase his talents, especially with Charlie Austin expected to be out for another three months, per BBC Sport's Simon Stone.