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Southampton Sign Portuguese Midfielder

This was predicted on here yesterday that Southampton would be signing and announcing Mateus Fernandes on Tuesday evening and now it's official, but will the 20 year old be another star in the making or another flop.

We predicted yesterday in our article Transfer To Southampton To Be Announced On Tuesday that Mateus Fernandes would be a Southampton player by Tuesday evening.

Now BBC Sport have confirmed that the young midfielder is now a Saint after signing a five year deal with a fee said to be in the region of £15 million.

The big question though for Southampton fans is whether the club have unearthed another under the radar genius in the mode of Tino Livramento or Romeo Lavia, or it will be a signing that never quite gels and doesn't really come off.

Hopefully it will be the former and Fernandes will be a key player in the coming season.

Southampton manager Russell Martin said Fernandes had "key attributes" to help the club "here and now in the Premier League".

"Mateus is a player we have been monitoring for a while and someone we are really excited about"

The 20 year old midfielder had this to say about his arrival at St Mary's:

"I'm very happy to be here - it's a dream come true to come to England and play in the Premier League," the 20-year-old said.

"It's the best league in the world, in my opinion. It has the best coaches, the best players, the best teams. It's good for me, for my growth and I'm happy."

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