Southampton signs Eljero Elia on loan from Werder Bremen; will join club in January
Southampton has added some depth to its attacking corps, confirming the signing of a player that manager Ronald Koeman has been a known admirer of for some time now.
BREAKING: @ELJERO11ELIA, who has 27 caps for Holland, will complete his move to #SaintsFC when the transfer window opens on 3rd January.
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) December 23, 2014
Elia, 27, will help to fill the void left by Sadio Mane, who will leave for the African Cup of Nations come January. The Dutchman will also act as further cover for Jay Rodriguez, who has still not played since suffering a torn ACL near the end of last season.
Elia, who has spent time at Hamburg and Juventus since leaving the Netherlands in 2009, was once seen as an important member of the Dutch squad that could blossom into one of the more exciting wingers in the world.
While his career has stalled in recent years - thanks in part to a disastrous loan spell at Juventus that saw him make only four appearances with the club in 2011-12 - Elia's mix of creativity and pace should fit well with a Southampton squad that is strong enough in other areas to allow him the freedom to use his attacking talents.