Southampton officially announced the permanent signing of last season’s loanee Taylor Harwood-Bellis on Monday in a move that was all but a formality.
Taylor Harwood-Bellis spent the promotion-winning campaign on loan at Southampton from Manchester City.
When Southampton won the Championship play-off final, they were celebrating not just promotion but the permanent capture of Harwood-Bellis as the terms of his loan deal stipulated the club must pay Manchester City £20 million for his signing if they went up.
Therefore, it was universally known that Harwood-Bellis would be a permanent addition ahead of the 2024/25 season, but that was made official on Monday.
It was not the only signing the club announced to start the week, though, as Charlie Taylor’s signing was also announced following the expiration of his Burnley contract.
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Taylor Harwood-Bellis ‘delighted’ with permanent Southampton move
Harwood-Bellis came through the academy at Manchester City, making eight appearances for the club.
However, he has spent the last three-and-a-half-years out on loan, with five temporary spells away from the club.
Having won the Championship last season with Burnley before being loaned to Southampton last summer, the 22-year-old was determined to make this loan his last.
The England under-21 captain played like a man possessed at times, knowing that with promotion he would also secure a permanent home after years of uncertainty.
He did just that, helping the Saints to a clean sheet in the play-off final against Leeds United and took to Instagram to express his happiness at confirming his permanent St Mary’s move on Monday.
Harwood-Bellis posted a picture of him celebrating promotion at Wembley by pointing to the Southampton badge with the message: ‘It’s no secret how much I enjoyed being here last season, so I’m delighted to officially become a Southampton player ahead of the new season.
The feeling of bringing this club back to the Premier League and playing in front of these fans week-in-week-out has been amazing.
I’ve learnt a lot over the past two years and developed so much as a player and as a person. To have the opportunity now to represent this club in the Premier League is really special and I can’t wait to get going and to see all the lads again.’
Will Smallbone and Nathan Tella react to Harwood-Bellis’ Southampton post
Now that his permanent signing is confirmed, Harwood-Bellis can look forward to a season in which he will be crucial to Southampton’s chances of Premier League survival.
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The centre-back’s ability to play out from the back combined with his old-fashioned love of defending his goal make him perfect for manager Russell Martin and he will undoubtedly be a regular once more.
Southampton players will know the importance of Harwood-Bellis’ return and academy graduate Will Smallbone was quick to express his own delight at the signing, reacting to the defender’s Instagram post with three emojis showing his love.
Nathan Tella left Southampton last summer, joining a Bayer Leverkusen side who have just won a historic double, but spent the 2022/23 season on loan at Burnley where he played alongside Harwood-Bellis as the pair won the Championship.
Tella commented what every Southampton fan was thinking on Harwood-Bellis’ post, as he said: ‘Deserved this bro’.
Now, with his future confirmed, Harwood-Bellis can look forward to returning to Southampton for pre-season in the next few days ahead of becoming a Premier League player.