Southampton sign Crystal Palace goalkeeper Alex McCarthy
Southampton have signed goalkeeper Alex McCarthy from Crystal Palace.
The 26-year-old goalkeeper has signed a three-year contract with the South Coast club, where he will compete with Fraser Forster for a spot in new boss Claude Puel’s starting line-up.
According to Sources the clubs have agreed a fee of around £4m, plus bonuses. The deal was concluded after he passed his medical on Monday.
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McCarthy said: “I’m over the moon to join a club like this. The club is known for producing young players and they’ve had successful seasons.
“There’s the Europa League to look forward to this season, so there’s going to be a lot of games.
“With the stature of the club, I’m honoured to be here and I’m looking forward to getting working with everyone.”
When he makes his first appearance, Southampton will be the ninth club McCarthy has played for during his senior career.
Southampton’s Executive Director of Football Les Reed added: “Once again, I am delighted to welcome another player to the squad at Southampton.
“We now have two quality English goalkeepers who have both represented the country at International level.
“I am confident that Fraser will soon be England’s number one, and in Alex we have a young player who has already had a taste of the England senior squad, as well as excellent experience at Under-21 level.
“Alex is ambitious and will be pushing for a starting place every time he gets the opportunity, which can only be good for Fraser and a shining example for Harry Lewis and the younger keepers below.
“Working with Dave Watson, our keepers can only get better and, who knows, we could have two Saints stoppers at the World Cup in two years’ time.”
McCarthy only played seven Premier League games for Palace last season after joining for £3.5m.
He had been at six different clubs on loan during his time at Reading, including Cambridge, Aldershot, Yeovil, Brentford, Leeds and Ipswich.
