Saints chief sees nothing wrong with spending big.
Check in to Transfer Window: Done Deal Alerts
Southampton chairman Nicola Cortese has defended his decision to splash the cash this summer that has already seen them spen over £20 million on new additions ahead of the new season, Sky Sports reports.
The club recently broke their record transfer fee to land defender-cum-midfielder Victor Wanyama from Celtic for £12.5 million, whilst highly-rated Croatian defender Dejan Lovren joined from Lyon in a deal thought to be in the region of £8 million.
And Cortese is now hoping that the club can build on their respectable 14th place finish last season by consolidating their position in the top flight and the Italian believes that the recent signings are a sign that they are heading in the right direction.
“We try to create a fantastic working environment, whether it’s in the offices or on a football pitch. It actually motivates people to work and to work even harder,” he told Sky Sports News
Liverpool had thought to be leading the interest in Lovren earlier in the transfer window before he secured his switch to the south coast and Cortese admitted that he was surprised to beat the Reds to the player’s signature.
“He is a player we didn’t think we could really land to be honest. Even though he’d been having some issues at Lyon, it’s part of the circumstances and we are very happy to have him on board,” he said.
Speaking of Wanyama, Cortese said: “We had to be patient in negotiations but ultimately, we got the player on terms which are fair value to him and he is a quality addition.
“I don’t pay anything which is not justified, so whatever the fee is, whatever the topic is, everything you pay needs to be justified and if you can’t justify it, I’m not prepared to pay anything.
“My way is the Southampton way so that’s what we are all working towards; it’s the culture we’ve built.
“It’s not only me, whilst I’m the figurehead there’s a lot of people who are with me on that and we all drive in one direction.”