Southampton have signed Divin Mubama on a season-long loan from Manchester City. The move gives Southampton a striker who arrives after a productive pre-season and after a spell at Stoke City that was interrupted by injury.

Southampton moved fast once Mubama became available

Johannes Spors said the club acted quickly once Mubama's availability became clear. His view of the deal was plain enough, with Southampton backing the 21-year-old for more than just finishing. "As soon as we knew about Divin's availability we acted quickly to bring him here, not just because of his incredible goal scoring ability, but because of his work ethic and hunger to help the team, which will be vitally important this season," Spors said.

Mubama also sounds ready to go. "I've just come back from a pre-season where I've scored goals. I've been playing, I feel really fresh, I feel sharp, so I'm just really excited to get going," he said. He also pointed to the quality around him at Southampton, saying players in the team will serve chances if he does his part in front of goal.

Stoke showed the striker can contribute, even if the loan ended badly

His last loan spell was at Stoke City, where he scored five times in 28 appearances. That is a decent return for a young striker trying to build momentum, especially in a stint that was cut short by a ligament injury in a 0-0 draw with Queens Park Rangers in January.

The injury came after a challenge Mark Robins described as "terrible". Mubama had still done enough before that setback to show why clubs are willing to back him, and his pre-season for Manchester City offered a cleaner run of form. He scored against Inter Milan and the K-League All Stars, and provided an assist in City's 3-1 win over Atletico Madrid in Seoul.

For Southampton, this is a straightforward squad move, but it is also a sensible one. They are taking a striker who has already shown he can score, has just come through a sharp pre-season, and has something to prove after last season's injury interruption. The next chance to see how he fits comes when Southampton's season gets under way, with the loan now confirmed and the forward in place.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →