Former Blues midfielder Flynn Downes has joined Southampton on loan for the season from West Ham United.
The 24-year-old is reunited with his former Swansea boss Russell Martin at St Mary’s having been taken to Wales from Town for £1.4 million in the summer of 2021.
That figure was boosted by a further around £1.5 million when Downes joined the Hammers, who he supported as a boy, last summer for an initial £9 million with Town having had a 20 per cent sell-on in the original deal.
"The ambition for the club is obviously to get promoted, to get back in the Premier League, and that enticed me a lot,” Downes told the Saints’ official website.
"Obviously I’ve worked with the gaffer before. Him, Gilly [former Town first-team coach Matt Gill, now Southampton assistant manager], Deano [Dean Thornton, goalkeeping coach], Ben [Parker, first-team tactics & insights analyst], I’ve worked with them and I know what they’re about.
"Their attention to detail, the way they play, what they demand of us players – it’s just such a good environment to be in, so it’s a no brainer really.”
Director of football Jason Wilcox added: "Flynn is a really dynamic player and someone who will add a lot of quality in midfield.
"He’s got a great relationship with Russell and his coaching staff already, which means he also comes in with a real understanding of the system and how we want to play, which is ideal for both us and him.
"He’s a young guy, but with plenty of experience already, including in the Premier League, so he’s coming here at a good point in his career and is someone who can help us now but who also has that potential to continue developing.”
Academy product Downes will come up against the Blues when Town travel to St Mary’s on Tuesday 19th September.
We understand the Blues had a tentative look at the possibility of bringing Downes back to Portman Road on loan early in the summer but the matter got no further than that.