A key reason why Portsmouth would be wise to make Gustavo Caballero's Fratton Park loan a permanent arrangement
Gustavo Caballero’s goal for Paraguay against Morocco will have done his World Cup Finals dream the power of good.
Gustavo Caballero has been tipped to make a World Cup Finals impact for Paraquay.
And that could prove hugely lucrative for Pompey, who included a transfer clause in the loan deal that saw the winger move to Fratton Park from Santos on loan in January.
The Blues are under no obligation to buy the the 24-year-old once his temorary stay expires at the end of the season.
However, chief executive Andy Cullen told The News back in February that a pre-agreed undisclosed transfer fee is in place with the forward’s Brazilian parent club should they decide to make his PO4 stint permanent.
Caballero’s stock has already risen following his decision to move to England.
His nine appearances and goal against Millwall earned him a maiden call-up to the senior Paraguayan side. And as he reports back for club duty and a Good Friday trip to Norwich City, the former Nacional winger does so with two international caps in his bag after substitute appearances against Greece and Morocco over the past week.
The Blues forward also scored his first-ever goal for his country at any level as he headed home a late consolation goal in the 2-1 defeat to Morocco in Lens, France.
Now Paraguay boss Gustavo Alfaro believes Caballero would be a welcome addition to his ranks as he prepares to finalise his squad for this summer’s World Cup on USA, Canada and Mexico.
Indeed, he’s of the opinion the winger coud provide a much-needed spark of life to his side in their groups games against USA, Australia and Turkey, and potentially further into the tournment.
And that could play into Pompey’s hands, who could make an instant handsome profit on the player if they agree to make his Fratton Park loan stay permanent.
‘If we want to have a good World Cup, we need fine-tuning,’ said Alfaro after Tuesday night’s game.
‘We need to be strong in the attacking box.
‘This is a team that has the versatility to adapt to different systems, and we still have time to arrive at the World Cup the way we want.
‘We had chances (against Morocco), but we lacked efficiency.
‘We need a spark and maybe Gustavo Caballero can be that spark.’
Six of Caballero’s nine Pompey games have come in the way of starts. According to Flashscore, Caballero is valued at €964,000.