After sealing a move to the English Premier League, Nathaniel Clyne is confident his new side Southampton are capable of qualifying for Europe.
Clyne, 21, signed a four-year deal with the Saints, after running out his contract with Crystal Palace. The fullback has now flown out to join the rest of the squad in Evian-les-Bains.
Despite being a free agent, Southampton are required to pay Palace a compensation fee, due to Clyne's age. Discussions between the two clubs regarding compensation are still ongoing and if a fee cannot be agreed, the case could go to an independent tribunal.
Clyne, who has previously been linked with the likes of Manchester United, said it was the ambition of Southampton that drew him to the club. "I'm overwhelmed, really," Clyne told the club's official website.
"As soon as I heard that Southampton were in for me, I was happy and I knew that this was the place where I could try to improve, further my career and get a chance to play in the Barclays Premier League.
"It's a club with a lot of ambition -- the gaffer told me that they would want to be pushing for a place in Europe.
"We've got good players here -- a young bunch of good, talented players who are destined for the top, so I don't see why we can't do it."
Southampton manager Nigel Adkins is confident Clyne will turn out to be a success in the Premier League. "We're delighted that we can finally announce that we've brought Nathaniel Clyne into the group to help us kick onto the next level.
"There's a lot of work going on behind the scenes all summer and, with (head of recruitment) Paul Mitchell and (executive chairman) Nicola Cortese, we work very hard behind the scenes to make things happen.
"For the last three years Nathaniel has been a very attack-minded full-back who bombs on -- he's got pace and he's a good one-on-one defender.
"He got into the Championship Team of the Year last year, and for such a young age he has had a lot of first-team football in the Championship.
"All being well, we can push him onto the next level now."
