Friday, 18th January, 2013
Southampton have confirmed the capture of highly-rated Norwegian defender Vegard Forren on a three-and-a-half-year deal.
Forren arrives from Norwegian champions Molde, who he helped to the title last season, their second successive crown and one which saw the 24-year-old hailed as the best defender in the country.
Forren had been chased by a number of Premier League clubs, including Everton and Fulham, while Liverpool thought they had taken a positive step towards his capture by inviting him for a trial earlier this week.
But Forren preferred a permanent deal at Southampton and the Norway international has landed at the Saints.
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"It’s a dream come true for me. Southampton is a big club in the Premier League, which is where I have always wanted to come and play football", he told his new club’s official site.
"When I was told of the interest from Southampton, straight away I wanted to come and talk to the chairman. We had a chat and I was very impressed – there was no doubt that this is where I wanted to be.
"The plan the chairman has for this club is fantastic. There is a good, young squad here and the way they play fits me well, so I hope I can join the team and get some good results."
It has been a busy day for Southampton, who sacked manager Nigel Adkins this morning and replaced him with Argentine Mauricio Pochettino.
Forren now joins to add greater defensive depth to the new manager’s Saints squad.
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