Southampton sign striker Pelle
- adamhigginsuk
- Jul 12, 2014
- 2 min read
Prolific: Pelle scored 27 goals for Feyenoord last season and was signed by Koeman for the Rotterdam club in the summer of 2012 (Picture from Forza Italia)
ITALIAN striker Graziano Pelle has joined Southampton for an undisclosed fee from Feyenoord.
The 28-year-old links up with boss Ronald Koeman again after scoring 55 goals in 66 games at Feyenoord under the Dutchman, who replaced Mauricio Pochettino at St Mary's last month.
It is Southampton's second summer signing after the arrival of Serbian midfielder Dusan Tadic earlier this week from FC Twente.
On signing for the South Coast club, former Parma player Pelle told their website: "I'm really happy that it's finally signed.
"I had some teams interested in me, but this is going to be the best choice for me because the club wants to keep improving every year.
"The talks between us were only short in terms of how long it took to convince each other. I was pretty sure that, for me, this would be a great step. "Ronald Koeman and I worked together for two amazing years at Feyenoord, and I hope that it will be the same here. "There are many good things about this club other than the coach. The Premier League is amazing, and Southampton is showing year-by-year that it wants to improve. "Last year, everyone in Europe was impressed by the performances of the team, and it’s clear that the club is growing. It’s great to be here."
Southampton have already sold Rickie Lambert and Adam Lallana to Liverpool and Luke Shaw to Manchester United during this transfer window.
And Koeman has expressed his delight in landing highly-rated Pelle as the Saints, who finished eighth last season, seek to rebuild ahead of their Premier League opener at Anfield.
"I had Graziano in my team for my last two years at Feyenoord. He scored a lot of goals - more than 50 in two seasons - and they brought a lot of points to the club," he added. "Goals mean points, and we needed a good player in that position after Rickie Lambert left. "In terms of his qualities, he's a tall striker with a lot of movement and he's fast. He's a player who gives confidence to the team because he keeps the ball, and he’s very dangerous in front of goal. "He's almost 29 years old, so he brings a little bit of experience to a young team. "Overall, we’re pleased to have brought in Graziano after signing Dusan Tadic earlier this week. This shows we are committed to strengthening the team and progressing after last season."
Lecce-born Pelle was the Dutch Eredivisie's second top scorer last season with 27 goals after netting 29 times in 33 appearances in all competitions in his first campaign.
Last updated: 12 July 2014 18:55pm
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