Southampton have signed forward, Cameron Archer from Aston Villa for £15m.
Archer re-joined Villa this summer due to a transfer clause in his move to Sheffield United last season, which was activated by the Blades’ subsequent relegation despite him having scored four goals in 32 appearances.
Villa however decided to sell him on to Southampton following a £15m bid plus add-ons, with Archer having signed a four-year contract until June 2028.
Feeling “excited” about his move to St Mary’s, Archer credited manager – Russell Martin for persuading him to come to the Saints.
“I had a good chat with the gaffer. Obviously, he told me everything I needed to hear.
“That was one of the main reasons why I’m here, his playing style, his coaching and trying to improve me as a player. It’s not a bad place to do that in the Premier League with Southampton.
“I just want to keep scoring goals and improve myself as a player, and I don’t think there’s a better place to do that than with Southampton.”
Martin added: “Cameron is a really exciting young talent with huge potential to improve, and we’re really delighted to add him to the group in time for our first game back in the Premier League.”
The Southampton boss also spoke of Archer’s potential as he continued: “He’s a constant threat with his pace and ability to score goals, and will have learned a lot from playing regularly in the Premier League last season.
“Now it’s up to us to help him develop and showcase how good he can be at this level.”
Archer graduated from Villa’s Academy and managed four goals in 14 senior appearances, amidst loan spells at Solihull Moors, Preston and Middlesbrough.