Southampton tie down Dutch international defender to 5-year deal

Southampton have completed the signing of Dutch international Wesley Hoedt, who put pen to paper on a five-year contract on Tuesday evening, the club has announced.

The 23-year-old arrives from Lazio for a fee believed to be in the region of £15m and adds to the defensive ranks, with Saints still insisting that compatriot Virgil van Dijk is not for sale.

The club released a statement via their official website in which vice chairman Les Reed stated: “Wesley is one of the most promising young defenders in Europe and represents a significant addition to our squad. Having procured a Champions League finalist from one Italian club we have now added an Italian Supercoppa winner from another.

“We believe he has all the qualities to play a big part in our future, and we have worked hard to bring him to Southampton, with a number of other high-profile clubs interested in him.

“Wesley has proven his talent through his performances for Lazio, as well as the Netherlands, and we believe he can develop even further here at Southampton, alongside his international teammate Virgil van Dijk, as well as the likes of Jack Stephens, Maya Yoshida, Jan Bednarek and Florin Gardos.”

Hoedt added: "I'm really happy to be here. I think Southampton is a really big club, so it's a good next step for me to come here and to play in the Premier League and try to help the best I can."

The centre-back boasted the best long ball accuracy of defenders to make 20 or more appearances in Serie A last season (68.5%), while winning over 84% of the aerial duels he contested.