Saints have made a second signing of the day by signing one of Claude Puel's former players at Nice.

Saints have been linked with Jeremy Pied over the past couple of weeks and now suddenly it has been announced that he has signed.

Pied has joined on a free transfer after being out of contract at Nice and looks a useful addition to the squad with an ability to play mainly as a right back but also in other roles on that side of the pitch, his signing will give us a little bit of experience and quality as cover for Cedric Soares.

Although this is not a big money or big name signing, it is just as important to get in quality fringe players as it is the star names, it is the likes of Pied who will win you a point or two when there are injury or suspension issues.

Speaking about his arrival at St Mary’s, Pied said: “I am very happy to be able to join this new team. I’m very proud. The English league is a very attractive one and it was a goal of mine to be able to play in it.

“I’m now very happy to join Southampton. You only have to look at the facilities and their results over the last few seasons to know that this is a very good Premier League club."

Executive Director of Football Les Reed added: “The signing of Jérémy confirms the commitment of Southampton to succeed again in the Premier League and Europa League, as well as go for a run in the cup competitions.

“We already have a top quality right-back in Cédric, whose achievements with Portugal in the summer were outstanding. While Jérémy will provide excellent competition, he is also a versatile defender and again will be pushing Cédric, Cuco [Martina] and the other current defensive incumbents hard.

“The squad is training very well and there is real competition all-round, which is only right for an ambitious team. They will all be called upon this year to contribute to our pursuit for success, and Jérémy will only add to that.

“I hope everyone will join me in welcoming Jérémy to the south coast as we look forward to another fantastic season.”

Photo: Action Images

perazi added 23:42 - Aug 1 Good solid signing no doubt - but there is still a need for a polished attacking signing or two.
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SaintNick added 23:58 - Aug 1 Its about squad building im sure there will be a big signing or two in the pipeline
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TygerUppercut added 06:45 - Aug 2 So with all the incoming transfer funds weve signed palaces 3rd choice + pied on a free transfer. My season ticket is 6th highest price in the prem!! If i knew what the transfwr plans werethis summer i honestly would not have renewed! Does katrina really need anymore cash!!
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Archersclose added 07:42 - Aug 2 I have to say that these two signings are rather underwhelming.
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halftimeorange added 08:22 - Aug 2 There is a rumour that Newcastle have made an offer for Matt Targett. Be interesting to see if it has legs.
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Saintsfaninoz added 08:50 - Aug 2 The rumour mill is fascinating. I live in Australia, though I grew up in Ashurst and went to secondary school in Southampton. Here in Brisbane, the only way to keep in touch is by reading the various internet outlets, such as Sky sports and bbc.com, etc. On the Sky sports' transfer blog, there is this segment entitled "Transfer whispers". This so-called transfer hotline purports to plot the most likely transfers to happen at any particular point in time. Apparently, according to this blog, Tadic has already gone to Schalke, Long has gone too, and Fonte is a lock to go to either Everton or Spurs. I await official announcements before believing any the press speculation. So far, I think the Saints have shown their usual modus operandi. Great scouting and terrific return on investment. Another striker is obviously the next priority, but for the first time in 3 years, I am optimistic about the coming season. We may not get a top 6 finish in 2016/17, but the Premier League looks to be wide open. I am looking forward to watching good football, exciting football, and a good Europa League campaign.

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highfield49 added 08:53 - Aug 2 The point of having a forum is, of course, for supporters to have an outlet for their opinions. That said I don't understand why signing two players to strengthen the squad should be a cause for negativity. Has anyone said that the club has now finished it's recruitment this summer?
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SonicBoom added 09:16 - Aug 2 To improve your squad strength you need to buy both first choice players and fringe players. The mark of a good squad is surely the quality of the fringe. We are slowly trying to improve across the board. No one is saying that this guy is here to replace Cedric but rather to bolster the overall squad quality. Maybe he is slightly better than Cuco for example.
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IanRC added 09:24 - Aug 2 According to the Mail, Pied was influenced by Spider's comments about his former club. We must be doing something right as all our former players appear to be ambassadors for Southampton.
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