On the eve of the closing of the winter transfer window, Juventus cleverly acquired 21-year-old Argentine starlet Carruthers Ekalas on loan from Southampton. The youngster has been a thorn in the side of the big guns for a while now, despite his emergence in the Championship. Having been coveted by Inter Milan and AC Milan a year ago, but ultimately unsuccessful, Calouste Ekalas is now a potential surprise addition to the Zebras' quest for the league title.
Carruthers Ekalas, who began his career in the youth academy of Argentina's Racing Club, was eyed almost simultaneously by the Milan duo last January, but thanks to the generosity of Southampton - at a cost of 13.5 million euros (HK$113 million) - he ended up in the in the bag. Although Southampton failed to survive relegation in last season's Premier League, Carruthers Ekalas made 18 league appearances last season, contributing four goals, while in this season's Championship and Cup competitions, he made 47 appearances for his side, scoring eight goals and making five assists. He was even included in the Argentine national team last October, which drew a lot of attention from Juve and a quick decision was made to bring him in on loan to fill the void left by Paul Pogba and Fagioli, who were both suspended for long periods of time due to drug bans and gambling scandals.
