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Southampton sign Dutch ace Eljero Elia

Saints have responded to their lack of squad depth by bringing in Dutch winger Eljero Elia from German side Werder Bremen.

Jasper Juinen/Getty Images

With the Saints' threadbare squad looking thin up top, Ronald Koeman has acted quickly by bringing in speedy Dutch winger Eljero Elia from struggling German side Werder Bremen.

Southampton's squad has been significantly stretched over the last month and with the African Cup of Nations looming, they are set to lose yet another attacking player in Sadio Mane.

Dubbed the 'Dutch Balotelli', Elia is no stranger to controversy after troubled spells at Juventus and Hamburg. Saints fans will no doubt be looking to Dutch footballing favourite Koeman to rein in Elia's apparent behavioural problems.

However, Elia does have 27 caps for his country, having also featured for the Netherlands in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. So it's clear he does possess talent and he will be keen to resurrect his career with Saints in the Premier League.

The 27-year-old speed demon will officially join Southampton on loan from January 3rd, while it's widely rumoured a permanent deal has already been lined up for the summer transfer window.