Barclays Premier League: Saphir Taider for Southampton

Southampton have announced and official declared the signing of the player named Saphir Taider from Inter Milan.

The 22 year old Algeria midfielder shifts to St Mary's on a season-long loan from the Serie A cub, with the Saints forward Dani Osvaldo moving in the opposite direction on the same basis. Each move has a selection independent of the other to make the move permanent.

Taider, who was born and grown  in France, started at Grenoble before moving to Serie A and a two-year spell at Bologna, where he played alongside Southampton playmaker Gaston Ramirez. He played in two matches at the recent 2014 FIFA World Cup finals, including the last-16 defeat by eventual champions Germany.

"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," Southampton manager Ronald Koeman told www.saintsfc.co.uk. "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."

Taider is Koeman's fourth signing since he took over at St Mary's this summer after Dusan Tadic (FC Twente),Graziano Pelle (Feyenoord) and Ryan Bertrand (loan from Chelsea).

The Dutchman added that he would assess and further Taider's fitness and health before deciding whether he would play in Southampton's final pre-season friendly against Bayer Leverkusen on 9 August, before the Saints visit Liverpool eight days later for their opening match of the 2014/15 Barclays Premier League campaign.

(Source: Barclays Premier League official website)