The forward was acquired by the Saints for an alleged £19 million from Monaco, a Ligue 1 team where he had excelled for the previous three seasons.
The Argentine made 65 appearances in the French top flight over his three years there, tallying 15 goals and 3 assists (all figures courtesy of Fbref). He also helped the team win the league in 2017.
Along with being reunited with the striker, Mauricio Pellegrino, his old manager from Estudiantes in Argentina, was another benefit of moving to St. Mary’s.
Carrillo received a lucrative transfer to play football in Europe thanks to his strong performances for Pellegrino with Estudiantes.
Nevertheless, Carrillo’s time at Southampton was a complete flop, as evidenced by his meager seven league appearances.
The thirty-two-year-old played for the Hampshire team ten times in total, with an effective cost of £1.9 million per appearance.
Carrillo provided two assists but did not score for the Premier League team.
Pellegrino’s dismissal in March had an effect on his tenure at the club, as the group struggled to produce regular performances and outcomes.
During his brief tenure as Southampton manager, Pellegrino was never a very well-liked character, and his playing philosophy was frequently criticized.
Following Pellegrino’s dismissal, Carrillo played in just two games for the team, one of which was a 3-0 loss to West Ham in the FA Cup.
Carrillo became a symbol of Southampton’s downfall during those two years, as his struggles there revealed a team that had lost its direction.
The team was well-known for its astute moves in the transfer market, bringing in players like Sadio Mané and Virgil van Dijk from Liverpool who later won the Premier League.
However, a near-relegation in 2018 was a true low point, as the team had a challenging season due to several major errors in the market.
The Saints saw some improvements under Ralph Hassenhuttl, but ultimately those weren’t enough to stop the losing, and they were demoted in 2023 after never fully rebounding from Mauricio Pochettino’s peak.
