Southampton have signed Ben Brereton Diaz from Villarreal for £7.7m.
Brereton Diaz endured a difficult 2023-24 season with no goals in 20 appearances for Villarreal following his free transfer from Blackburn Rovers.
The 25 year-old Chile international however scored six goals in 16 appearances on loan at Sheffield United in the second half of last season, despite the Blades suffering relegation from the Premier League.
His performances for Sheffield Utd caught Southampton’s eye with the Saints paying aa £6.5m fee, followed by £1.2m in add-ons, with Brereton Diaz having signed a four-year contract until June 2028.
Speaking about his permanent return to English soil as he joins Russell Martin’s Saints, Brereton Diaz commented: ”
“I’m absolutely buzzing. It’s been smooth these past couple of days, and I’m happy to get everything sorted and signed. I’m really excited to meet everyone, it’s great to be involved with this great club.
“Watching the club when I was younger, it was always in the Premier League. Obviously last season, the way the team played, they went down but they bounced straight back up as a team.
“Also the gaffer as well – everything has aligned together, and I think it’s an amazing club. I can’t wait to get started.”
Brereton Diaz also can’t wait to reunite with Adam Armstrong following their time together at Blackburn, which he hopes will allow them to quickly adapt and find their spark once more.
“Obviously Arma, I played with him for a couple of years at Blackburn, what an unbelievable lad. He’s done amazing things, scoring goals, he’s a great player and a great person, so I’m excited to see him.
“We were both a little bit younger at Blackburn, but we played a lot of times together, we had a good relationship there and I’m sure we’ll pick up where we left off and have a good relationship here as well.”
Martin is “delighted” to welcome Brereton Diaz as he praised the forward for his quality and work ethic.
“I’m really delighted to welcome Ben to the group. He’s a versatile and intelligent footballer, capable of playing in a number of positions across the forward line.
“He is a strong, powerful runner and a confident finisher with a good goalscoring record, including last season’s spell in the Premier League in which he adapted to the level extremely quickly.
“He is a proper team player and the sort of hard-working, hungry character we want in our squad. His athleticism and physicality makes him a great fit for the Premier League, and we think he has all the tools to add to our attacking options.”
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