Southampton complete third signing of January transfer window

Southampton have completed the signing of Luton Town defender James Bree for an undisclosed fee.

90min revealed on Wednesday that a deal was close to being completed for 25-year-old Bree, and he has now signed a three-and-a-half year contract at St Mary’ to reunite with former manager Nathan Jones.

“I’m absolutely delighted. As soon as I had the chance to come to this huge club, a Premier League opportunity for myself as well, and obviously get to work with my old gaffer, I knew it was the right decision straight away and I didn’t have to think twice about it,” Bree told Southampton’s official website.

“It’s something I’ve dreamed of since I was a little kid, making my Premier League debut, and obviously for a team as big as Southampton. It’s something you dare to dream about.”

Bree played 143 times for Luton after moving to Kenilworth Road in 2019 from Aston Villa, becoming an increasingly important member of the side as they pushed for promotion to the Premier League last season.

Upon reuniting with Bree, Jones said: “James is obviously someone who I know well from our time together at Luton, and he has the qualities both on the pitch and also in terms of his character to help us here.

“While we have really talented players in the full-back positions, we have been lighter on numbers than we would have liked, so the addition of James to the squad really helps us to address that. He’s also comfortable playing at centre-back too, so that versatility helps gives us another good option in a number of areas.”

Bree will have to wait for his debut until February 4 at the earliest, when struggling Southampton travel to Brentford in the Premier League, as he cup-tied in both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup.