Hugo Mallo has been stripped of the captaincy at Celta Vigo after coach Oscar Garcia admitted that the Southampton-linked defender wanted to leave, as reported by El Desmarque.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hadn’t even tapped home his iconic Champions League winner when this longest of long-serving players enrolled in Celta’s academy over 20 years ago.
But, after two decades and almost 400 appearances for the Galician outfit, Mallo’s time in baby blue could be coming to a rather unsatisfactory end.
Speaking to Sports Finding last week, Celta coach Garcia admitted that the 29-year-old ‘wanted to leave’ the La Liga outfit during the summer transfer window with Southampton offering him a fresh start in England (Desmarque).
And an increasingly contentious situation is not exactly getting any better.
Mallo, a living legend at Celta Vigo, has lost the armband he has worn with pride for a number of years amid growing uncertainty about his future at the Balaidos.
“I am not going to air things from the inside (the club),” said former Brighton boss Garcia, refusing to explain why Mallo is no longer the captain.
Whether Southampton step up their interest in the experienced defender, with the January window just weeks away, remains to be seen.
Kyle Walker-Peters has done a fine job since joining the Saints permanently from Tottenham Hotspur but the other right-back at Ralph Hasenhuttl’s disposal, the unreliable Yan Valery, has been left out entirely for four of Southampton’s seven Premier League games this term.
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