With Russell Martin now confirmed as the new manager of Southampton, the club can begin their quest to get back to Premier League football.

The boss has wasted no time in adding to the squad, as the Saints sealed their first signing of the summer, Derrick Abu from Chelsea, following his recent release from Stamford Bridge.

Who is Derrick Abu?

The right-back was noticed by Chelsea after representing grassroots side Coezer FC at a tournament in Spain and was scouted by the Blues at U11 level. He then signed a scholarship with the West Londoners in 2020, before signing professional terms in February 2021.

Then in April 2023, he went on trial with fellow Premier League outfit Crystal Palace, scoring the winning penalty in a 5-3 shootout victory against Valencia in the Premier League International Cup semi-final. Two months ago, it was announced that Abu would leave the club upon the expiration of his contract, which has allowed the south coast side to pounce.

Despite a short-lived career with Chelsea, he still managed 37 appearances for the U18s and U21s, with seven goal contributions.

As well as his footballing endeavours, the buzzing prodigy has also made a name for himself under the alias ‘Cho$en’ and spoken on his mentality, saying: “I am always trying to get my body in the right shape as well as being prepared mentally as there are a lot of games to be played.

“The coaching team in all the age groups I play in have shown a lot of faith in my talents and as a player that can only help you to achieve your goals and the team's goals."

He has supported his hard-working mentality through an obvious technical impudence, as noted by the Daily Echo’s Reece Barrett, who said: “Abu is an attacking-minded player with lightning-fast acceleration and natural crossing ability.

“Pacey, strong first touch but had his path to the first team blocked due to Chelsea having so many elite full-backs.

“His first-touch crossing is brilliant for a player of his age, and has sparked comparisons of his playing style to Trent Alexander-Arnold. He has also said that he has tried to model his game off of legendary La Liga full-backs Marcelo and Dani Alves.”

Alongside Abu, the returning Nathan Tella will also be a huge boost to Southampton, after the 24-year-old enjoyed a sensational loan spell at Burnley last season. With the pair both capable pf playing down the right-hand side, it could be berth of a brand new and exciting partnership at St Mary's.

The Clarets cantered to the Championship title as Tella scored 17 goals, including two hat-tricks, to cement himself as the club’s top scorer in a phenomenal season.

Vincent Kompany was one admirer, saying of the star’s quality: “I still call him a raw diamond. As you can see, he is still progressing.

"He has been doing really well and before anything else, I must mention his effort. It's so important to point that out.

"He has goalscoring ability but many with that ability don't put the work in for the team but he does. He has all the tools and helps us in so many ways, not just goalscoring."

A new era is brewing at Saint Mary’s Stadium, which Abu and Tella could be huge features within, just waiting to take the Championship by storm in a bid to reach the Premier League again.