FOLLOWING confirmation of ex-Chelsea youth captain Dynel Simeu’s move to Saints on a three-year deal, Ralph Hasenhuttl’s squad have welcomed a talented local youngster with bags of potential.

Although he may not immediately go into the first team, the 19-year-old centre-back departed Chelsea looking for a clearer pathway into senior football and will find that in the depleted south-coast side.

In the 2020-21 Premier League season, eight Saints academy players aged 20 or below were given top-flight minutes and no doubt Southampton local Simeu, who'll go into the B team first, will have seen these opportunities.

Ex-academy graduate Olly Lancashire yesterday rejoined Saints to be a leader and offer guidance for the B team specifically, and will now work with the fellow centre-back on a daily basis - hopefully helping Simeu to reach peaks that perhaps Lancashire himself couldn't quite.

The deal was initially reported by transfer guru Fabrizio Romano on Wednesday, before being confirmed by the club today – although he’s not the only Chelsea youngster to exit this window.

Marc Guehi, 21-years-old and also a centre-back, was on loan at Swansea last season but completed a £20m transfer to Crystal Palace, while midfielder Lewis Bate, 18, has moved to Leeds, amongst others.

Saints have got their ex-Blues man too, though. Told through numbers, here’s a whistle-stop tour of Dynel Simeu’s football career.

19 – Dynel Simeu’s age.

13 – Simeu joined Chelsea’s academy at under-13 level, joining from Sunday league side Chamberlayne Athletic following a trial with local recruitment. Also born on March 13, 2002.

122 – Weeks since he signed his first professional contract.

14 – Simeu’s former SO postcode (SO14)

6 – England youth appearances, at under-17 and under-18 level. Simeu also captained the young Lions.

2 – Yaounde-born Simeu holds dual-nationality and is eligible for both his country of birth, Cameroon, and England. The youngster had both flags printed on his Puma boots.

66 – First team shirt number awarded to Simeu by Chelsea at the start of the 2019-20 season. Simeu was named on the bench for the Blues’ Champions League quarter final tie against Bayern Munich the same campaign.

25 – Appearances in Premier League 2 division one, the under-23’s most prestigious domestic division.

1 – Premier League 2 title medals hanging on the mantelpiece, after success with Chelsea’s development squad during the 2019-20 season.

19 - Simeu is an England under-19 international

3 - Three-year Saints deal signed by Simeu, keeping him at the club until 2024.

1.5 – Millions £ worth of fees Saints could reportedly end up paying after acquiring the youngster, although it is suggested much of that is clauses that may not necessarily be fulfilled.

185.4 – Simeu stands at 185.4cm, or 6 foot 1 inch tall.

0 – Appearances made for a senior side during his career so far.

22,500 – Amount of followers Simeu has on social media app, Instagram.