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Southampton have completed the signing of Jordy Clasie from Eredivisie club Feyenoord for a fee of £8m, according to BBC. The Netherlands international has signed a five-year-contract with the club and is expected to be an effective replacement for Morgan Schneiderlin, who had departed for Manchester United recently.
The 24-year-old Feyenoord youth product started his career at the Dutch club in 2010 and has made 129 league appearances during his time there, scoring 8 times. He has been a favourite of Saints coach Ronald Koeman ever since he made his debut against Malaga in the 2011/12 season, and the player will now get the chance to link-up with the man who brought him first-team football.
EPL is the best league: Clasie
While speaking with Southampton’s official Youtube Channel, the midfielder admitted that the move was a big step for him.
“It’s a big step. Some people said to me that maybe it’s too big, but I like it. For me, it’s not difficult to come here.
“Every player has ambition, and for me England is the best league – that’s why I came here. For me, I think this was the right time. I’ve played four years in the first team at Feyenoord and was at the club for 15 years,” he said.
He went on to add: “It was not easy for me to leave, but I felt this was the right moment. I spoke with my family and my girlfriend and we said together that this was the right moment. This club wanted me and the trainer spoke to me, and that feels good. It was not a problem for me to come here. From the first moment, it feels good.”
Clasie hopes to play European football
Jordy Clasie will join his new team-mates in training later this week, and has already set his sights on repeating Southampton’s impressive 2014/15 campaign.
“I hope I can play many games here and, for this season, I hope we can play European football. They did well last year and I hope that we can repeat it this year.” he said.
He continued: “I hope I have great moments here. They’ve told me about the fans here and that they like their football very much and support their players. I’m looking forward to great moments with the fans, my teammates and the club.”
Koeman’s team will depart for the Netherlands as they continue their preparations for the upcoming campaign, and are expected to play Feyenoord on 23 July, which should see Clasie feature for the Saints.
