Hasenhuttl reveals qualities that convinced Southampton to sign Salisu
Southampton have completed the £10.9million signing of central defender Mohammed Salisu from La Liga side Real Valladolid.
The Ghanaian centre-back has agreed a four-year deal at St Mary’s, becoming the club’s second summer arrival after Kyle Walker-Peters made the permanent switch from Tottenham.
Ralph Hasenhuttl hailed the 21-year-old Salisu as a defender of rich promise, with Saints continuing their rebuilding after selling midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg to Tottenham for £20m.
Salisu moved to Valladolid from Ghana in 2017, quickly establishing himself as a first-team regular. Now Saints boss Hasenhuttl expects him to shine in the Premier League.
“This is an important signing for us, Mohammed is a player who fits our profile well,” said Southampton manager Hasenhuttl.
“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.”
Salisu revealed Southampton’s track record of developing young players informed his decision to join the club.
“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,” said Salisu.
“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.”
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