Deadline Day moves
Southampton have kept themselves busy during deadline day with the arrival of no less than three players. Late on Thursday evening, the Saints confirmed the arrival of Arsenal midfielder Ainsley Maitland-Niles on a season-long loan deal. The 25-year-old, who continues to struggle with game time in Mikel Arteta’s side has a market value of €10m as he begins his third loan move in as many season.
“Ainsley is at a good point in his career, with a lot of experience already, but he is also still a player with potential, and he is someone who can definitely help us,” said Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhüttl. “I think he fits well with us and can develop his game even further during his time here. He can also play in different positions, which is always a good thing, and I am pleased to welcome him as part of our squad.”
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Before fans even had an opportunity to react to such a move, the Premier League outfit then announced that they had also signed 19-year-old winger Samuel Edozie from Manchester City. According to the Daily Mail, the forward makes the move to the Stadium of Light in a deal that could end costing as much as €11.6 million.
“Samuel is another promising young player who brings good attacking qualities to us, and he is someone who fits very well with our philosophy,” confirmed Hasenhüttl. “He is a quick player who has impressive technical ability, so he will be able to help our squad immediately, but we also see a lot of potential in him for the future.” Prior to the arrival of the young winger, the Saints had spent just over €56m on new signings, following the arrival of Gavin Bazunu, Sékou Mara, Roméo Lavia, Armel Bella-Kotchap and Joe Aribo, as well as Mateusz Lis on a free transfer.
Southampton add defender to summer signings
However, the south coast club weren’t willing to stop there with their late summer spending and made a further addition in the form of Marseille central defender Duje Caleta-Car. RMC Sport reported earlier that the 25-year-old talent is on his way to England after a deal was agreed between the two clubs, which would see the Premier League outfit pay €8 million and agree to a percentage of any future sale for Caleta-Car going to Marseille.
Once considered a young player with exceptional potential, Caleta-Car made the move to the Ligue 1 side for €19m from RB Salzburg in 2018 at the age of 21. Since then, the player has made 130 appearances for Marseille, but often found himself on the bench last season and as such has now been deemed surplus to requirement by the French club. After reaching a market value high of €25m in 2021, the defender has since seen his value drop to €16m, where it is now.
On Maxence Lacroix to Southampton. Source tells me that Wolfsburg do not want to sell the center-back on deadline day. Not enough time to bring in a replacement. #SaintsFC have been pushing but for now a deal is unlikely. pic.twitter.com/Moo4kX5Eb9
— Manuel Veth (@ManuelVeth) September 1, 2022
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