Mislav Orsic: Southampton complete £8m deal for Croatian forward on a two-and-a-half-year contract
Southampton have completed the £8m signing of Mislav Orsic from Dinamo Zagreb; the 30-year-old is the first signing of the Nathan Jones era at St Mary's; Orsic made six appearances for Croatia at the World Cup and scored the winner in the third-place play-off win over Morocco
Friday 6 January 2023 17:56, UK
Southampton have completed the £8m signing of Croatian forward Mislav Orsic form Dinamo Zagreb.
The 30-year-old has signed a contract until the summer of 2025 and becomes the first Saints signing of the Nathan Jones era.
Orsic made six appearances for Croatia at the World Cup and scored in the third-place play-off against Morocco.
Southampton manager Jones said: "Mislav is a significant addition to our squad and I'm delighted we have been able to get him in so quickly this month.
"He's a serious attacking threat and I'm sure anyone who has followed his progress or saw what he achieved at the World Cup will realise the talent he has. We're excited to have him here."
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Orsic added: "I feel very happy to be here, I think it's a dream for every football player to come to play in the Premier League and I'm here, I'm ready, I'm motivated and I hope that I will help the team to achieve their goals.
"When I come here to the camp, it's amazing, and I'm sure I will really enjoy my time here. Now it's a little bit of a difficult situation for the club, but I think we need to stay together. We have only one plan - to stay in the Premier League. We need to work hard every day and I hope that at the end of the year we will be happy."
Has Jones bitten off more than he can chew at Saints?
Sky Sports football journalist Laura Hunter:
"It could scarcely have been a worse start for Nathan Jones. Does the 'new manager bounce' rule not apply on the south coast? It is safe to say that mandate has glossed over St Mary's and been washed abruptly into the nearby English Channel.
"Southampton have lost six consecutive Premier League games - they last repeated that unwanted feat back in February 2021 - and are without a clean sheet in 11 home games.
"Jones hasn't overseen that entire period, but his tenure has begun with a succession of doom and gloom. The continuation of a downward trend at Saints. His honeymoon period may well be the shortest in top-flight history, but for Frank de Boer's ill-fated spell at Crystal Palace in 2017 when he departed after four league matches.
"Prior to arriving at St Mary's on Wednesday, Nottingham Forest hadn't won a single point on the road. They hadn't scored a single away goal. And yet one goal was all it took to down a limp Saints side, devoid of any structure or confidence, casting them further adrift at the foot of the table.
"It was a sobering night. Not least because a significant number of home fans were passionately singing "You don't know what you're doing" by the full-time whistle. Choruses of boos could be heard intermittently throughout."
Follow the January transfer window with Sky Sports
Who will be on the move this winter? The January transfer window opened on Sunday January 1, 2023 and closes at 11pm on Tuesday January 31, 2023.
Keep up-to-date with all the latest transfer news and rumours in our dedicated Transfer Centre blog on Sky Sports' digital platforms. You can also catch up with the ins, outs and analysis on Sky Sports News.
