'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The arrival of Graziano Pellè from Feyenoord would’ve certainly lifted the spirits at Southampton, who seemed to be losing a player almost every other day. The 28-year-old Italian striker joins the Saints on a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee (reportedly in the region of £9m) and follows the club’s new manager Ronald Koeman from Feyenoord to St Mary’s.
Pellè is on his way to the South coast club, on the back fo two prolific seasons under Koeman at Feyenoord, in which he scored 50 goals in 57 appearances. The Italian was seen as the perfect replacement for Rickie Lambert and he becomes the club’s second signing of the summer after Dusan Tadic.
On signing for the Saints, the Italian striker said: “I’m really happy that it’s finally signed. I had some teams interested in me, but this is going to be the best choice for me because the club wants to keep improving every year. The talks between us were only short in terms of how long it took to convince each other. I was pretty sure that, for me, this would be a great step.”
He also added that his relationship with Koeman was one of the main reasons why he chose the Saints. “Koeman and I worked together for two amazing years at Feyenoord, and I hope that it will be the same here. There are many good things about this club other than the trainer. The Premier League is amazing, and Southampton is showing year-by-year that it wants to improve.bLast year, everyone in Europe was impressed by the performances of the team, and it’s clear that the club is growing. It’s great to be here.”
Koeman, who wants to add further quality to his squad before the start of Premier League season believes that Pellè’s experience will help his young squad.
Koeman said: “Goals mean points, and we needed a good player in that position after Rickie Lambert left. In terms of his qualities, he’s a tall striker with a lot of movement and he’s fast. He’s a player who gives confidence to the team because he keeps the ball, and he’s very dangerous in front of goal.
“He’s almost 29 years old, so he brings a little bit of experience to a young team. Overall, we’re pleased to have brought in Graziano after signing Dusan Tadic earlier this week. This shows we are committed to strengthening the team and progressing after last season. We know that we need some more players because we haven’t occupied all of the positions. We need more players to bring the squad to where we need and expect.”
