Southampton fans can now breathe a sign of relief as the signing of Aaron Ramsdale has now officially been announced.
Russell Martin has been desperate to add a new first-choice goalkeeper to his Southampton squad this summer and he has now got that with a deal for Aaron Ramsdale that could rise to be worth £25 million.
Even Martin himself would not have believed that Southampton would be able to sign a goalkeeper of such pedigree on a permanent deal but this transfer represents real backing from owners Sport Republic.
A deal for Feyenoord goalkeeper Justin Bijlow fell through at the 11th hour earlier this week due to a failed medical so Saints supporters had not allowed themselves to get carried away when news of Ramsdale‘s potential arrival broke.
However, the signing is now official and Southampton fans can now start to really get excited about watching an England international in goal for their side.
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Aaron Ramsdale cites Russell Martin as big reason for signing for Southampton
Southampton hinted at the signing of the 26-year-old with a silhouette image of Ramsdale dressed up as Hagrid from Harry Potter signing a contract.
This was in reference to Ramsdale’s fancy dress costume for Southampton’s play-off final success over Leeds United in May, as the former Bournemouth man was in the crowd to support former team-mate David Brooks.
Shortly after, Ramsdale’s signing was officially announced on the Southampton club website, where his first words as a Saint were revealed.
Ramsdale spoke on how happy he is to have made the move, as well as the influence of Martin on the deal as he said: “I’m absolutely delighted.
“The way the manager wants to play, the way he was when I spoke to him, he was just full of so much enthusiasm.
“I’d never met him before, but he made me feel about eight feet tall, which is just what you want.”
Ramsdale also feels everything is in place for him to start strong at St Mary’s, adding: “Coming back down to the south coast as well for me and my family, it would be an easier transition than most, so I feel like I can hit the ground running.
“I’m looking forward to this year, just getting back to what I do best and having a big smile on my face while doing it here.”
Southampton believe Ramsdale can play against Brentford
Any Deadline Day signings that were registered before midday will be able to play in this weekend’s fixtures and Southampton were very mindful of that when pushing to get Ramsdale’s move completed.
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It is unclear at this stage whether Ramsdale will be able to feature in Saturday’s 3pm kick-off away at Brentford but reporter Mark McAdam revealed on Sky Sports that Southampton believe that the deal was registered in time.
The club are awaiting official confirmation from the Premier League whether this is the case but are hopeful that Ramsdale can replace Alex McCarthy in the Southampton goal as they seek their first points of the new season.