SAINTS have announced the signing of Calum Anderson to the club’s Academy from Northern Irish side Linfield.

Anderson has agreed to sign a deal with the club that will see him join the scholarship programme in the 2025/26 season.

The 16 year old has risen through the ranks at Linfield from the age of nine and made his senior debut for The Blues in January.

The defender has featured for Northern Ireland at under-16 and under-17 level, captaining his country in the 2024 U16 Victory Shield.

"I'm delighted to be here, Southampton is a club with a rich history of producing young talent," he said upon arriving at Staplewood. 

"When the offer came I thought it was the best environment to develop myself. There's a lot of big names that have come out of the Academy, and I want to come here and hopefully do the same."

Southampton's head of academy recruitment, Chris Robinson, added; "We're delighted that Calum is joining us, there were a lot of clubs interested in him which is not surprising.

"He is a talented player who is a natural leader too, and we hope he'll be an exciting addition to the club's academy."