FORMER Saints forward Papa Waigo has admitted he wanted to stay with the club and called his way of playing “perfect for English football”.

The now-retired Senegalese ace spent one season on loan at St Mary’s from Italian side Fiorentina, scoring 10 goals in all competitions.

One of Papa Waigo’s strikes came in the 4-1 EFL Trophy final win over Carlisle United at Wembley Stadium.

Now, in an interview with Il Posticipo, he was asked to detail his best experience outside Italy – at this point mentioning Saints.

“I played in England, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates…. I played the FA Cup with Southampton, and it was wonderful,” he said.

“Fiorentina did everything to get me back after the loan. If it was up to me, I wouldn’t have left. My way of playing was perfect for English football. We went fast on the flanks, then there was aggression and grit.”

Papa Waigo retired from football in 2018, after a seven-year stint of playing across various clubs in the middle east.

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