Belgian winger Steve De Ridder has joined Southampton from De Graafschap for 'a significant undisclosed fee'.
Winger pens three-year deal at Championship club
Belgian winger Steve De Ridder has joined Southampton from De Graafschap for 'a significant undisclosed fee'.
Championship new-boys the Saints are thought to have beaten off stiff competition to land the highly-rated 24-year-old.
De Graafschap's Eredivisie rivals FC Utrecht and AZ Alkmaar were thought to be chasing his signature, but De Ridder has chosen an English move.
He arrives at St Mary's on a three-year deal after spending three seasons in Doetinchem.
Confidence
De Ridder told the club's
official website: "I have got a great first impression about this club, I have already been treated so well since I arrived and it has given me a lot of confidence.
"I hope to pay that back on the field.
"As soon as I arrived here I was convinced that this was the right move, this is a big adventure for me and I am looking forward to it."
Manager Nigel Adkins added: "Steve is a young, hungry player who wants to keep developing and that is what attracted us to him.
"He is an attacking player who has played on both flanks and up top and has the ability to make things happen."
