Osvaldo - will this deal work?

On deadline day, Southampton agreed to loan out their second most expensive signing Pablo Daniel Osvaldo after just half a season at St Mary's to Juventus. Will this move work out for all parties involved?

For the time being, Osvaldo must be over the moon about joining on loan to one of Europe's biggest clubs, but in the long term this could be a bad move for the controversial striker. The Italian international left Southampton on a sour note, under two weeks suspension for a training ground fight with Jose Fonte, reportedly head-butting the defender. The move means he is now free to play again and no longer has to face players and staff he may have annoyed and upset with his egotistical attitude. He also gets to return to his beloved Italy, a league which not only suits his style of play, but the league that he performed best in having previously been in Spain and Argentina. However, in the long term this could work out to be a poor move for the forward. Having not played particularly well during his time in England, he showed flashes of brilliance, for example his goal against Manchester City showcased his neat footwork and finishing. Now at a much larger club than Southampton, Osvaldo will have to quickly pick up his form and to keep his place in the side he will have be something he has often struggled to do - consistent. Osvaldo will have to keep his behaviour in check too, with some of his previous antics unlikely to go down well with Conte and players of a much higher calibre than the striker.

From Juventus' perspective, this deal makes very little sense. A club that already had five strikers now has six for just two competitions. Conte favours a formation which plays two strikers, so already having five was too many. It could be argued that the Turin outfit expected to offload players like Vucinic and Quagliarella and wanted to bring in some competition for first choice strikers Tevez and Llorente but moves for the fringe strikers didn't materialise and now Juventus have far too many forwards. The move could be made permanent in the summer as Juventus have included a clause in the deal to purchase him should Osvaldo impress for the club. Juventus may already have plans to offload Vucinic, Quagliarella and Giovinco in the summer and may decide to purchase the forward. The fringe strikers of the squad are also likely to suffer and lose out on already reduced game time with Osvaldo's arrival.

Southampton were placed in a difficult position when Juventus approached their controversial striker. On one hand the club would have wanted their money's worth and may have felt that Osvaldo would have eventually come good. On the other, they were paying high wages for a player who has not been a success and reportedly wanted to return to Italy. With the pros and cons weighed up, the decision was made to loan out the striker, but with the chance to make the money they spent on the player back if Juventus decide to make the move permanent represents good business. The striker wont be particularly missed by Southampton, as they have plenty of depth in that particular position.

It remains to be seen who will be the winners and losers in this particular deal, but time will soon tell. Whether or not he is a success on the pitch, off the pitch he is very entertaining and will be closely watched by Europe to see how he does in Turin.