Southampton confirm signing of Ghana defender Mohammed Salisu

The 21-year-old joined the English side from Real Valladolid in a deal estimated to be worth £10.9m.

Salisu arrives at the club as one of Europe’s most coveted young players, having given a good account of himself in La Liga.

Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhüttl described the Ghanaian’s signing as very important for the club.

“This is an important signing for us. Mohammed is a player who fits our profile well. 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,” he told the club’s website.

“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.”

Meanwhile, Salisu said he has always wanted to play in the Premier League and described the move as a dream come true.

“For me, it has been a dream since I was a child to play in the Premier League and I am very, very happy to be here,” the defender said.

“We all know it is a very tough league, but I am ready for everything to put all I can into helping the team.

“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.

“It’s a very good club for me to develop my skills and to learn a lot as a young player and I’m very happy to join. Southampton has a fantastic history in developing young players and I hope I do my best to add to that group.”

Salisu played 32 games across all competitions for Valladolid in the just ended season, scoring two goals.