Tonda Eckert has his own Rickie Lambert in the making in this Southampton ace | OneFootball

Cyle Larin could be a modern-day Rickie Lambert for Tonda Eckert’s promotion-chasing Southampton, his recent finishing proving decisive.

According to Sainstmarching.com, Southampton have enjoyed prolific EFL forwards in recent years, not least Adam Armstrong, who left for Molineux in January after scoring 43 goals in red and white. This season Leo Scienza and Finn Azaz have 19 goals between them.

Lambert, signed for £1m in 2009, arrived with a journeyman’s pedigree from Stockport County, Rochdale and Bristol Rovers. He plundered 78 goals in his first three seasons, powering back-to-back promotions to the Premier League. Alan Pardew once said he could score with either foot and his head.

At 30, Canadian striker Larin has travelled widely, playing in Türkiye, Spain and the United States before joining from Mallorca on loan in January. He appears settled at St Mary’s and has been a poacher in Eckert’s set-up, scoring six times in 15 appearances. Three have arrived across the last four league games.

Eckert has balanced youth and experience, with 32-year-old Jack Stephens alongside Taylor Harwood-Bellis and 22-year-old livewire Kuryu Matsuki. Larin, Ontario-born, has led the line with that mix behind him, hinting at a Lambert-like influence during the run-in.

Whether he stays beyond this fruitful loan is unclear, with an option-to-buy in place. For now, his ice-cold finishing could yet be the goals that seal promotion.

Source: Sainstmarching.com