Southampton have re-signed their former captain Adam Lallana after the midfielder left Brighton and Hove Albion as a free agent.
Lallana initially joined Southampton at the age of 12 and was with the club for 14 years before he left for Liverpool in a £25million deal in 2014.
During eight years with the Saints first team, he made 265 appearances and scored 60 goals, helping them win back-to-back promotions from League One to the Premier League as well as lifting the EFL Trophy at Wembley Stadium in 2010.
He then went on to help Jurgen Klopp s Liverpool win the Premier League, Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup trophies before joining Brighton in 2020.
Full circle
— Southam(P)ton FC (@SouthamptonFC)
He heads back to St Mary s as Russell Martin s first signing ahead of their return to the Premier League, after Southampton earned promotion by beating Leeds United 1-0 in last month s Championship play-off final.
Speaking to Southampton s website, Lallana said: I ve been no stranger. My son s at the academy, so I m in and around it quite a bit, but I ve not been this close to being home, so it s amazing.
Although it sounds like a bit of a fairytale, in my head there s still a job to do and I m really confident I ve still got a lot to give to this football club.
Southampton will discover their Premier League fixtures for 2024-25 on Tuesday, when the schedule for the new campaign will be released.