Salisu: Ghanaian defender self-isolates after signing for Southampton
Ghanaian defender Mohammed Salisu is self-isolating after signing for English Premier League club Southampton.
The Ghanaian centre-back made his much-publicised switch from Spanish La Liga club Real Valladolid today but he will have to wait for a while before he can join his new teammates because of United Kingdom (UK) Coronavirus regulations which direct visitors to self-isolate for 14 days on arrival in the UK.
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“It’s been very strange. As we all know, the virus has created a lot of damages, and for me, this is the first time I can’t go home,” Salisu told the Southampton website.
“I have moved to the UK to sign and then quarantine for 14 days, so I have found this very tiring. I hope we can find a vaccine soon. Now I am in quarantine and I hope I will come out next week and will start training with the first-team and I will be very happy to meet my new teammates. I am looking forward to starting and getting to know everyone in the team.”
Deal
The 21-year-old Ghanaian has signed a four-year deal with Southampton and according to the now-former Real Valladolid man, it has always been his dream to play in the English topflight.
“For me, it has been a dream since I was a child to play in the Premier League and I am very, very happy to be here,” Salisu said.
“We all know it is a very tough league, but I am ready for everything to put all I can into helping the team. It is a very good feeling to be a Southampton player. I am very happy to be part of the club and I am looking forward to starting here.
“It’s a very good club for me to develop my skills and to learn a lot as a young player and I’m very happy to join. Southampton has a fantastic history in developing young players and I hope I do my best to add to that group.”
He becomes the second player to arrive at the club during this year’s summer transfer window.
The highly-regarded young centre back moved to Spanish top-flight side Valladolid from his homeland in 2017, first establishing himself in their second side, before quickly progressing into a key member of the first-team.
Salisu featured twice in the club’s Copa del Rey campaign in the 2018/19 season before becoming a regular in the 2019/20 campaign, making 32 appearances across all competitions, helping them to a notable improvement in their defensive record and also to a respectable 13th-placed finish.
Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhüttl said: “This is an important signing for us. Mohammed is a player who fits our profile well. He is young and has a great amount of potential, but he is also someone who has the qualities to come in and help the team as soon as he is up to speed with our way of playing.“I like what I have seen of him so far in his games with Valladolid. He is strong defensively, he is calm with the ball – something that is important in our team – and he has good speed too.
“I think he will fit in well with us and that this will be a good place for him to develop his game further. We have some good centre-backs here and this will be another strong option for us.”