In Portugal they publish lists of which clubs have scouts at games and Saints had a representative at the game between Paços De Ferreira and Sporting Braga.

The player that Saints were watching is rumoured to be Paços De Ferreira's 19 year old striker Dioga Jota who netted his 12th goal of the season in what proved to be the winner, add to that his 8 assists and he is certainly an influential player in his teams armoury.

Saints were linked with Jota back in January and the word is in Portugal that they are lining up a bid in May when the window re opens.

The word was that Athletico Madrid had signed a deal with Pacos De Ferreira in March, but nothing seems to have happened in that direction and Saints might swoop and catch a few teams on the hop with Barcelona, West Ham and Manchester United also listed as having scouts at the game.

What might swing it for Saints is their reputation in Europe for giving young talent a run out and certainly Jota would stand a better chance at St Mary's of first team opportunities than at the Neu Camp or Old Trafford.

Photo: Action Images

VancouverSaint added 19:44 - Apr 25 Nick, I don't think Juanmi would agree on your comment
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SaintNick added 21:00 - Apr 25 Juanmi has had plenty of chances Im afraid he didnt take them, I still think he could have a future at Saints, but I dont think he will be willing to stay and fight for his place next season
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DPeps added 21:50 - Apr 25 Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think Juanmi has actually started a game for us, so I'm not sure he's had plenty of chances. RK and the coaches work with him every day but I'd need to see him start a game or two before deciding whether to keep him. Mayuka got plenty of chances!
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perazi added 22:10 - Apr 25 Sounds like a good prospect, and maybe Cedric and Jose can have a word of encouragement. By-the-way Nick, Juanmi has not had plenty of chances. Harry Reed has not had many chances - the player that has is Mr Ward-Prowse, and I'm afraid he hasn't taken them.
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SaintBrock added 22:32 - Apr 25 Who would he replace as we are top heavy with strikers SL, GP, DT, SM, JR, CA... we need more?
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SaintNick added 23:38 - Apr 25 Juanmi has come off the bench 12 times in the Premier League, 1 sub appearance in the FA Cup, 2 starts in the league cup and 4 sub appearances in the Europa League. Ok he hasnt started many games but he has made 19 appearances. I actually think he has something and could succeed here but he does need to beef up a bit
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schatfield added 09:39 - Apr 26 perazi, couldn't have said it better
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TeamCortese added 15:02 - Apr 26 Nick: The same could be said for JWP. Let's not forget this time last year Juanmi was considered for international call-ups to the Spanish national side. Let's not beat around the bush we're destroying his career. Our top goalscorer this season is Pelle with 13 goals in all competitions. For where we want to be (i.e. in the Top 6) that's not good enough for someone leading the line. For Koeman didn't want upset the dressing room so he limited Juanmi to 10-15 min cameos-which is nowhere near enough time to affect the game. I think Juanmi's been hard done by and I don't think he's done a bad account of himself but he definitely needs to bulk up if he's with us next season.

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