Southampton confirm transfer of Mohammed Salisu

The worst kept secret of Southampton’s summer transfer window has been confirmed to be true.

Saints announced they have completed the signing of central defender Mohammed Salisu from La Liga club Real Valladolid.

It’s been widley reported that Southampton signed the Ghanaian for £10.9m, a fee purported to meet his minimum release clause.

The 21-year-old has signed a four-year contract with Southampton and is Saints’ second signing after Kyle Walker-Peters’ announcement yesterday.

Former Southampton captain Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg went to Tottenham the other way.

TRANSFER CONFIRMED: Saints sign Kyle Walker-Peters from Tottenham
TRANSFER CONFIRMED: Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg leaves Southampton for Tottenham

Salisu is said to have impressed in his first season as a regular for Valladolid’s first team in the 2019/20 campaign.

The centre-back made 32 appearances for the club in all competitions, helping them finish 13th in the Spanish top tier.

“It is a very good feeling to be a Southampton player. I am very happy to be part of the club and I am looking forward to starting here,” Salisu said per the official press release from the club.

“Southampton is a club with a very rich history in developing young players, so it is a very good club for me to develop my skills and to learn a lot as a young player.

“I know that the team expects a lot from me and I’m going to try to give all I can to help the team.”

Saints manager Ralph Hasenhuttl said Salisu is an important signing for the club and he has liked what he has seen of the player during his time in Spain.

“This is an important signing for us. Mohammed is a player who fits our profile well,” Hasenhuttl said in the same club statement. “He is young and has a great amount of potential, but he is also someone who has the qualities to come in and help the team as soon as he is up to speed with our way of playing.

“I like what I have seen of him so far in his games with Valladolid. He is strong defensively, he is calm with the ball – something that is important in our team – and he has good speed too.

“I think he will fit in well with us and that this will be a good place for him to develop his game further. We have some good centre-backs here and this will be another strong option for us.”

When does the summer transfer window open and close?

The summer transfer window opened on 27 July and closes at 23:00 on 5 October.

A domestic-only window for trades between Premier League and EFL clubs will run from 5 October until 16 October at 17:00.