Southampton manager Mark Hughes has been speaking about the arrival of Stuart Armstrong from Celtic.
A £7m deal was agreed between Saints and the Hoops last week and after putting pen to paper on a four-year deal, Armstrong was officially unveiled as a Southampton player on Tuesday.
Speaking to the club’s official website, Hughes admitted that he was ‘delighted’ to have secured Armstrong’s services, with the Scotsman arriving as Saints’ first summer signing.
Stuart is a player who we have admired for some time, and I am delighted we have been able to bring him here, especially given the competition we faced to sign him.
The midfielder had only one year remaining on his deal at Celtic Park and after years of interest from the Premier League side, Saints were able to secure a deal for the player.
We have strong players in the squad and it is important we build on that by adding different qualities. It is important we add a greater goal threat to the team as a whole, and to our midfield specifically, and Stuart’s record of scoring and creating makes him an extremely exciting addition in that area.
He brings with him extensive experience of European football and has developed his game impressively over the past few seasons at a major club in Celtic, where there is a demand not only to perform but also to win. Stuart has done both during his time there.
Armstrong, who is an established Scotland international, will be keen to make an impression on the south coast as he prepares for his first spell in English football.
Southampton will be hoping to add further recruits to their squad ahead of next season, with Armstrong set to be one of many new faces at St Mary’s.
Hughes also spoke of how Armstrong’s character and experience will benefit the squad as a whole at Southampton.
Our research tells us he is an excellent young man, intelligent, and a strong team player, and clearly having another really good character in our group is part of what we want here at Southampton.
He has shown tremendous drive to improve and has also displayed a great desire to be a part of what we are trying to achieve here, and I believe he will be a real asset to the squad in the years ahead.
