itsbeautifuloutside

On Thursday, 13th June 2019, Southampton Football Club announced the signing the winger Moussa Djenepo, from Standard Liège.

The 20-year-old Mali international agreed a four-year contract at St Mary’s, subject to the relevant paperwork being completed on 1st July, becoming the first arrival of the summer transfer window and also of manager Ralph Hasenhüttl’s tenure.

Djenepo will move to Southampton off the back of an outstanding season in Belgium, where he scored 11 times for Standard Liège, as he helped them to a third-place finish in the top-flight and qualification for the Europa League.

We are very happy to welcome Moussa as the first new player to join our team ahead of the upcoming season

He is an exciting player, with tremendous pace and good finishing abilities, who we have watched closely for some time

We have been impressed with how he has adapted to football in Europe and the impact he has had in many games, and we had an interest in him as recently as January, so I am pleased we are able to bring him into the club

He combines his quality with a good mentality and he is the right profile of player that we want to sign – still in the early part of his career, already with a lot of talent, but also with a great amount of potential that I believe we can help him to fulfil

I think he will be an excellent fit for our style of play and shape, and these are the important characteristics we must look for. It is about getting this right sort of quality, not quantity – we must maximise the use of this window by spending our money in the right way and on the right type of player, and this is a very strong start.

- Ralph Hasenhüttl -

On Monday, July 1st Saints announced the signing of 22 year old Che Adams from Birmingham on a five year deal. The clubs did talk about a deal in January, but the midlands club was in trouble with the EFL for breaching the League's profit & sustainability rules and were unable to complete a deal.

During the 2018-19 season for Birmingham, Adams scored 22 goals in 48 appearances, a considerable improvement in form over previous seasons and some put part of the improvement down to intensive coaching from ex-Saints striker, James Beattie, now first team coach at St.Andrews.

Che fits the profile of player we want to bring to Southampton and is very driven to show what he can do at the highest level.

We have been monitoring his progress for some time now.

He has shown a desire to join us above all other clubs, which shows the positive reputation Southampton has built for developing young players.

- Ralph Hasenhüttl -

Whilst strictly speaking not a new signing, this was finalising the reportedly £20M move from Liverpool agreed last year, after spending the year on loan at Southampton, during which he played 24 games and scored 8 goals. Hopefully he will play considerably more games and score considerably more goals this coming season!

It feels good. Obviously, being here for a season already, I felt like it was very up and down for me personally, with a few niggles and small injuries, and that was off the back of not having a strong pre-season going into the season.

Now I've signed permanently, I feel great. I've looked after myself over the summer and I'm just raring to go for the new season.

Personally, it's a big season for me. I feel like it's my most exciting really.

The last few years have been very up and down for me, but now I've looked after myself over this summer and I'm really looking forward to it and hopefully great things can come from it.”

- Danny Ings -

The club finally announced the loan signing of 20 year old central defender Kevin Danso from FC Augsburg on Friday, 9th August, the morning after the Summer transfer window in England closed. The hold up was caused by the deal being agreed between the clubs and player very late in the day and long after the football authorities had packed up for the day, as the continental windows close later than the English.

Although he plays his international football for Austria, he was born to Ghanaian parents in Austria and came to England with his family at the age of six. He then joined the MKDons Academy as a striker and then became a midfielder. In 2014 he moved to Bundesliga side, FC Augsburg, where he converted to playing in the centre of the defence, making his league debut for the German side in March 2017.

In one of those quirky little coincidences, Kevin has already played at St.Mary's for Augsburg in a friendly during 2017's pre-season

The loan is initially for one year with "an exclusive option to buy".

He fits the profile of player that we want to bring here to Southampton. He is in the early part of his career, but he has good experience already, with a lot of existing qualities and the potential to develop even further.

We have made some good additions in our attack during the transfer window, with Ché Adams and Moussa Djenepo, and, like them, Kevin is another signing that fits our model of being a talented, young player who adds quality to our first-team squad. He will improve our defensive options, so this is an excellent way for us to finish our business.

- Ralph Hasenhüttl -