Southampton's summer of discontent could be about to hit overdrive with news that they are on the verge of signing Irish striker Shane Long for £12 million. And this isn't just some bullshit rumour, this is coming directly from the finger tips of none other than transfer guru in chief, Jim White.
Just heard that striker Shane Long is on the move again. £12m fee agreed to take him from Hull City to Southampton. #saintsfc #hcafc
— Jim White (@JimWhite) August 12, 2014
Now we're not saying that Shane Long is a bad player by any stretch of the imagination but £12 million is quite a large outlay for someone who West Brom were happy to ship out the door for around £5-7 million just six months ago. His four Premier League goals in the interim is hardly enough to double his value, is it? Kudos all round to Hull on this one.
We can only assume that Ronald Koeman has been admiring the Tipperary man from afar during his time working on the continent and now that he's arrived in the Premier League, he has decided it's time to strike. Either that or Southampton are being fleeced for anyone and everyone they're sniffing around.
Having said all that, let's hope the fee doesn't completely distract from the fact that it's a great move for Long. If he can become a regular scorer for a side in the top half of the Premier League then it can only be good news for Ireland.
