Southampton have attempted to put a stop to their summer exodus by signing Ryan Bertrand…
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Southampton have completed the loan signing of Chelsea full-back Ryan Bertrand on a season long loan move, according to an official statement on the Saints club website.
The 24-year-old has joined the South Coast club for the entirety of the 2014-15 season, and will replace the departed Luke Shaw as the club’s first choice left-back.
The two-time England international has been with the Chelsea first-team since 2006, when he graduated from the Blues youth academy. He has played 28 Premier League games for the Stamford Bridge outfit, and was also a surprise starter in the 2012 Champions League Final.
This is the seventh time Bertrand has been loaned to a different club, with the defender having spent the second half of last season on loan at Aston Villa.
Southampton are attempting to replenish their squad after a summer exodus that has seen top stars Rickie Lambert, Adam Lallana, Dejan Lovren (all Liverpool) and Calum Chambers (Arsenal) leave the club – in addition to Shaw, who has joined Manchester United.
New Saints boss Ronald Koeman has already signed Graziano Pelle from Feyenoord and Dusan Tadic from FC Twente, and will now look to make further additions ahead of the new season.