Any Saints fans who thought that Manolo Gabbiadini might have a final game for the club at Leicester have been dashed after he was pictured in Genoa arriving for his medical.
With Saints striking crisis some thought that Manolo Gabbiadini might have his transfer delayed in order to make up the attacking numbers at the King Power against Leicester, but it seems that is not in Ralph Hasenhuttl's plans as he was pictured by the Italian press in Sampdoria's home city of Genoa this morning to complete the second part of his medical.
It looks like he will join the Italian club later today for a fee believed to be in the region of £11 million, this is around £3.6 million less than the club paid for him almost 2 years ago.
He became a fans favourite immediately scoring on his debut and also in the next three games including two at Wembley in the League Cup Final.
He scored six times in his first four games but was injured in the fifth and little did we know that we had seen the best of the player, who would only score another six goals including a penalty in his final 56 appearances.
Truth is he was not suited to the way Saints played either under Claude Puel or his three successors and wen he played he was often a forlorn figure desperate for a through ball to latch on to but rarely getting it with Saints style based on attack down the flanks and balls into the box.
e did have the knack though of getting important goals, last season, he only scored 5 times but all of them counted, the opener in a 3-2 win against West Ham, both in a 2-2 draw with Newcastle, the last gasp equaliser at Burnley and perhaps his most vital the scrambled winner at Swansea City in the penultimate do or die game.
He was a popular figure amongst Saints supporters, but to be truthful the goals apart he contributed little Shane Long was given stick by the fans whilst the Italian was not, that was unfair on Long they both scored exactly the same number of goals in that period a grand total of two each, Long is judged harshly by his goal tally, Gabbiadini it seems was not.
But that was not his fault and he was a model professional whilst at the club, never complaining but as I have said the style of play did not suit him and not being a player that works hard off the ball it meant that if he wasn't scoring he wasn't really contributing.
That is not the type of player that Ralph Hasenhuttl wants in his squad, that is no slur on Gabbiadini, football teams are made up of all types of player as Lawrie McMenemy once said, you need hod carriers and you need violinists.
So farewell Manolo you gave us a couple of good memories during your stay and you will always be welcome back at St Mary's.
Hopefully he will too receive a warm welcome at Sampdoria a club he spent 18 months at between July 2013 and January 2015 when he joined Napoli who subsequently sold him to Saints for £14.6 million.