Southampton have signed Birmingham City striker Che Adams on a five-year deal for an undisclosed fee.

The 22-year-old was one of the standout players for Birmingham last season and scored 22 goals in 46 Championship appearances for the Blues.

The striker was named in the EFL Team of the Season and was nominated for the Championship Player of the Season award.

The forward signed a five-year contract at St Mary's and has joined for an undisclosed fee, a club-record for Birmingham.

Southampton were interested in signing Adams in January, but he now becomes manager Ralph Hasenhuttl’s second signing of the summer, after the Saints were able to see of competition from several Premier League clubs to sign him.

Adams joined Birmingham from Sheffield United in 2016 and went on to score 38 goals in 123 appearances for the Blues.

Birmingham announced that they had parted company with manager Garry Monk two weeks ago, after a reported fallout with the club hierarchy.

The Blues have confirmed that Pep Clotet has taken caretaker charge at St Andrew's, but the club are not actively seeking a new permanent manager.

The Verdict

This could be a great signing for Southampton. Adams was outstanding for Birmingham in the Championship last season and has established himself as one of the most prolific strikers outside of the top flight.

I think he deserves the chance to play at the highest level and he's got all the attributes to succeed as a striker in the Premier League.

It's been a massive few weeks for Birmingham and it's a major blow for the club to lose a player of his quality, although I'm sure fans would have expected this to happen, given that clubs were interested in him in January.