Saints land Skacel in £1.6m deal

Skacel links up again with former Hearts boss George Burley who has been chasing the playmaker for some time.

The 27-year-old Skacel had been in dispute with Hearts and was left out of the team for their Champions League win over Siroki Brijeg.

Burley said: "We waited a long time to sign but he'll be worth it, he's a big character who'll be a crowd favourite."

The Saints boss has spent most of the summer chasing Skacel, who just missed out on a place in the Czech Republic's World Cup squad.

While at Hearts, the current Saints boss signed Skacel from Marseilles and he made an immediate impact at Tynecastle by scoring in each of his first eight games.

Saints unveiled Skacel before their pre-season friendly at St Mary's stadium against Panathinaikos, one of Skacel's former clubs.

Burley added: "He did fantastically when I was at Hearts and he will be a big asset for this club.

"To get promotion you need players who can score goals from all over the pitch and I'm confident he can he can get into double figures from midfield."

RELATED INTERNET LINKS:
Your Say - 606 Championship chat
BBC Where I Live - Hampshire
Southampton weather
BBC Sport Championship
Southampton
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites