Southampton have signed Swansea City's England Under-21 defender Nathan Wood on a four-year contract, to reunite with head coach Russell Martin.
The duo worked together at Martin's former club Swansea, who signed the centre-half from Middlesbrough in 2022.
Martin spoke of his delight at the prospect of coaching the 22-year-old for a second time.
"Nathan is a player I know and trust from our time together at Swansea, and someone I also tried to sign in my first job at MK Dons," Martin told Southampton's official website.
Swan 👉 Saint pic.twitter.com/p2Ag7Jwufr
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) July 5, 2024
"He’s a top defender with tremendous physical qualities, great pace and calmness on the ball.
“What’s equally important to us is that he’s a great character who will settle in seamlessly with the brilliant group we already have here. He’s hungry to prove himself in the Premier League, and we want to help him achieve that.”
Wood himself is relishing the prospect of reuniting with Martin and playing in the top-flight for the first time.
“We had a good relationship, so we kept in touch through the past year, and when the phone call came and it was like, ‘we want you to come’, it was easy really,” he said.
“It’s massive. I think any player would say it’s a big thing when you know you’ve got someone that believes in you - someone that’s going to give you the chance and improve you as a player and as a person.
“I think that was one of the big things at Swansea - I was moving away for the first time, properly away from home, so I had to get used to living five hours away from home."
Wood, who is already familiar with Martin's distinctive style of football, is hoping to make a big impression in the Premier League too.
“It’s obviously a massive club, a Premier League club that was in the Championship last season, and to get straight back into the Prem is a big thing," he said.
“It’s always been an attractive club. Obviously the style of football is a big thing, the coaching is a big thing, and it’s a step up in leagues for me as well.
“It’s a no-brainer really when you put all those things together. It’s quite an easy decision to make.”
Who is Nathan Wood?
Wood was born on 31 May 2002, and hails from Ingleby Barwick in Stockton-on-Tees, a few miles outside Middlesbrough.
The son of former Crystal Palace and Boro defender Dean Gordon, he joined Middlesbrough's academy on 1 July 2018 and became their youngest ever player when he made a substitute appearance in their Carabao Cup tie against Notts County that year, aged only 16 years and 72 days.
Wood went on to gain experience with loan spells at Crewe Alexandra and Hibernian, and was already on the radar of then Swansea boss Martin, who signed the youngster in 2022.
He went on to make 72 appearances for the Swans, including 43 under Martin, and scored his solitary goal for the club at West Bromwich Albion last season.
See: Summer 2024 transfers & news
Southampton start their return to the Premier League at Newcastle United on Saturday 17 August.
