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Southampton sign England stopper Fraser Forster

Saints have bolstered their goalkeeping options after signing Forster from Scottish champions Celtic.

Forster in his World Cup training camp with England
Forster in his World Cup training camp with England
Richard Heathcote

Southampton have completed the £10m signing of Fraser Forster from Scottish champions Celtic.

While Saints have more glaring gaps in the squad to address following this summer's long list of key departures, this is a positive step forward for the south coast club.

Last season saw us have to rely on Paulo Gazzaniga when Artur Boruc inevitably got injured. Gazzaniga is not nearly good enough to be cover for a Premier League team.

Much has been said about his 'potential' as a future starter, but, for me, Gazzaniga hasn't shown anything to warrant those words. Forster, at 26, could be that long-term Saints 'keeper.

Forster was taken to the World Cup with England - and while he didn't see any game time in Brazil, this competition for places at GK can only be a good thing.

Speaking to the club, Saints boss Ronald Koeman appears equally excited for the Forster signing:

"Fraser is a very talented player and we are delighted to be able to bring him to Southampton. This is another important part of our rebuilding process ahead of the start of the season.

"The fact that he has worked with Dave Watson before means we already know all about his strengths and weaknesses, and I am confident that we will be able to help him improve even further.

"Fraser is the perfect fit to help complement the players we already have, and he will add a lot of quality to the squad.He is an exciting English player with a very good reputation within the game and, at 26, he will enjoy the best years of his career at Southampton."

Here's hoping Koeman is right.