Canned pies may not be the only famous export of Fray Bentos for long if Southampton’s Gaston Ramirez carries on impressing in the Premier League. Born in the aforementioned Uruguayan town 21 years ago, this highly-rated attacking midfielder was signed by the south coast club at the eleventh hour of the summer transfer window for a club record £12m from Bologna.
His Premier League debut was something of a baptism of fire, coming on as a substitute during Arsenal’s 6-1 mauling of Nigel Adkins’ promoted side, but Ramirez’s talents were already in evidence. Positioned just behind lone striker Rickie Lambert, the new boy created one of the Saints’ best chances in the game with a fine pass, which Lambert ended up skewing wide.
More was to come in his first start, in Gameweek 5’s home hammering of Aston Villa. Once again slotted in just behind Lambert, he gained an assist and a respectable EA Sports Index tally in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game of 21; not quite enough for bonus points but an indication of his future Fantasy potential. Despite Southampton losing 3-1 to Everton in Gameweek 6 at Goodison last weekend, Ramirez continued to shine, playing the full 90 minutes and scoring his side’s only goal.
Throughout his fledgling career goals have been a hallmark of his play, scoring 12 in 58 appearances for Bologna during his two-year stint at the club, including eight in his final Serie A season. The indications are that he could even make double figures this term if Southampton continue to pursue their attacking style of play.
While among the priciest of Southampton midfielders at 6.0 in the FPL game, Ramirez still represents something of a bargain if he continues to play in “the hole”. He is currently the top midfielder for the Saints in terms of FPL points per game, with an average of 4.3. Priced at 5.5 in the Sky Sports game, the Uruguayan he is also proving profitable, notching 18 points after just two starts.
Intriguingly, Ramirez looks a strong differential across the Fantasy games – only 0.4% of FPL managers have currently acquired his services, while even less (0.3%) in the Sky Sports game have decided he’s worth a flutter. With a strong run of fixtures over the next six Gameweeks, (FUL, wha, TOT,wba, SWA, qpr) Lambert will no doubt pick up plenty of interest, affording Ramirez the chance to sneak under the radar and plunder the points until the bandwagon inevitably begins.
