Why Portsmouth will have seen Gustavo Caballero as a 'risk' worth taking - the view from Paraguay
Paraguayan pundits have provided some extra details on Pompey new-boy Gustavo Caballero
Portsmouth’s deadline day move for winger Gustavo Caballero has been described as a ‘risk’ by Paraguayan football experts.
However, pundits from the forward’s homeland believe it’s a gamble worth taking by both parties, with the on-loan Santos player at Fratton Park until the end of the season, while the Blues also have an option to buy inserted in the deal.
Caballero was handed his Blues debut in Saturday’s Championship defeat at Preston North End, with the 24-year-old replacing Andre Dozzell on 79 minutes.
That gave the travelling Fratton faithful a brief opportunity to see what the South American has to offer for the very first time.
And while it will have been hard for fans to truly see what one of their latest signings will bring to Pompey’s battle against relegation, they have been given some extra insight into the player by those who have been following his career over the past seven years.
Gustavo Caballero - ‘He’s got that ability’
Guarani Vision is a podcast dedicated to Paraguayan football. In their latest episode (193), the team of Roberto Rojas Fede Perez and Ralph Hannah discussed the winger’s move to Fratton Park.
According to Hannah, Caballero’s move to the Championship came as a bit of a surprise. Nevertheless, he understands why Pompey made their move, given their lack of goals and defensive record this term.
‘I think what Gustavo Caballero has is very interesting for teams and maybe why Portsmouth decided to take the risk on him is he's a, even though he's like a winger, he likes to get in the box,’ Hannah said. ‘He's very good at getting in the box and making a kind of nuisance of himself.
‘And he's got a bit of the defensive capabilities. He's done very well in terms of that (so far in his career).
‘Today, you have so many wingers that have to basically help defend as well because of the way football is now. You can't just have somebody hanging up, hoping to receive the ball. And so he's got that ability. ‘
Pompey have given Caballero a ‘great opportunity’
Caballero has respresented Paraguay at under-23 level and at the 2024 Olmypics, where he featured three times for his country.
It was suggested his Pompey move could perhaps enable him to break into Gustavo Alfaro’s senior squad for this summer’s World Cup, where games against joint-hosts USA and Australia currently lie in wait.
However, Hannah believes simply getting the opportunity to showcase his ability in European football and exceeding with the Blues will be greatest chance he has to take.
He also believed getting the opportunity to play at Championship level was a better scenario that fellow countryman Hugo Cuenca, who moved to Spanish second-tier side Burgos from Genoa.
Hannah added: ‘It's a strange move in the sense that you don't hear Santos to Portsmouth. You don't hear that very often.
‘I'd love to try and find out how it came about, actually, with this transfer. Where did Portsmouth see him? Was it a last-minute thing because they have some injuries in that position and they just found Caballero available?
‘Either way, I think it's for him, this is a huge opportunity we're talking about. You're saying World Cup, it's getting a career, maybe getting a foot in Europe and managing to establish something.
‘And just in comparison to Hugo Cuenca, for me, the Championship is a level way above the second division of Spain. So he's going to be playing... I don't know what the crowd is at Fratton Park, but I'm guessing he's playing in front of about 20,000 people.
‘The game is probably on TV. It's a different league to what the second division of Spain is.
‘For Caballero, I think it's a great opportunity, that he'll have that, what, three months, four months, where he can try and make a difference.’