Southampton have announced the signing of Algerian midfielder Saphir Taïder on a season-long loan from Italian side Inter Milan. The deal sends Dani Osvaldo to Inter on a season-long loan as well, with both clubs having buy options on the respective players at the end of the season. The team announced the deal on their website on Wednesday.
Southampton signs Saphir Taïder on a season-long loan deal
The Algerian midfielder joins the Saints from Internazionale for the 2014/15 season in a loan swap deal that sends Dani Osvaldo to Italy.
Claudio Villa
Taïder, who was born in France, played in two of Algeria's matches at the World Cup. He spent two years with Bologna before moving to Inter last summer.
Saints manager Ronald Koeman praised the youngster, saying it's the club's policy to sign and develop young talent.
“It’s part of our philosophy for the club to bring in talented young players who like to learn and develop themselves, and that’s true of Saphir.”
“He can play as a controlled midfielder, but he can also move up around the box and up front, which is a good thing for a coach or manager because it brings more possibilities to the players in the team. He brings competition to the squad.”
The 22-year-old will begin training with the club this week, but do decision has been made about his availability for Southampton's friendly on Saturday against Bayer Leverkusen.
