After struggling to make an impact in Belgium and the Netherlands, can Cyle Larin find his form for Southampton? | OneFootball

Cyle Larin was on the move again on deadline day. Last summer, the Canadian forward joined Feyenoord on loan from Spanish side Real Mallorca. The forward struggled to make any meaningful impact in the Eredivisie, scoring just once in 15 appearances. Only three of these appearances were as a starter. Larin has struggled to find consistency ever since his breakout season with Besiktas, in which the striker scored 23 goals in 46 games. Sadly for Larin, this came back in the 2020/2021 campaign and is a distant memory.

Since then, Larin has failed to find double figures and has moved about a bit. He returned to Belgian football in 2022, having spent time with Zulte Waregem on loan while at Besiktas. This move did not go well. In 13 games he scored once and by the winter window he was being loaned out to Real Valladolid. This seemed like a good move, and in all honesty, Spanish football has been good for Larin in recent seasons. Larin scored eight goals in 19 games for Real Valladolid, a feat that earned him a permanent move to Spain that summer.

However, it was Mallorca and not Valladolid that brought Larin in. Across a two year spell with the club he scored 14 goals in 76 games. Feyenoord moved in the summer to bring him in on loan, but like with Club Brugge, the partnership failed to deliver. Now, Larin has a chance to experience English football for the first time. One area that may concern Southampton fans is that the Belgian league is certainly more physical than the Spanish league, and Larin struggled with Club Brugge.

However, players are certainly not robots, and with a World Cup in Canada coming up, Larin has plenty of reasons to want to prove himself with the Saints. After a period struggling for form with Feyenoord, a move to Southampton may be just what the striker needs. A new environment could be the catalyst for a decent run of form, like he had with Valladolid when he left Club Brugge mid season. Larin will certainly hope he can find form ahead of the World Cup, although he is certainly behind players like Promise David and Jonathan David in the pecking order.

GBeNeFN | Ben Jackson