21 years old, Damion Downs has joined Southampton for a reported £7 million today. The German-born striker, who has US citizenship, bagged 11 goals last season as FC Köln won promotion back into the Bundesliga.
Saints have signed another young and athletic player
Downs in another example of Johannes Spors' approach to signing young and athletic players who can develop within the Sport Republic family and eventually be sold for a good profit.
Downs made his senior debut for Koln in September 2023, managing two Bundesliga goals in a brief spell before their relegation. But rather than let relegation get him down, the young striker got down to work and helped the 'Billy Goats' back to the top flight with a double-digit tally of goals.
The USMNT striker is not just a physical hold-up player. He is capable of running in behind and finishes well from inside the box.
Competition is hot among the Southampton strikers
He is most likely to be played through the middle and will compete with Cameron Archer, Ross Stewart, Adam Armstrong, and Ben Brereton-Diaz for a place in the starting eleven.
Southampton are building a squad full of talent that on paper is too strong for the Championship. So far, this has been an excellent summer transfer window. The signings of Joshua Quarshie and Damion Downs, so early in the window, has given Southampton Head Coach, Will Still plenty to work with during pre-season.
Player retention during the remainder of this window will be as important as recruitment. The team sheet in August will look so much more convincing if it has the names of Shea Charles and Mateus Fernandes on it.
"Southampton is a big club that should be in the Premier League"
Saints fans will be delighted that they have finally got the Damion Downs deal done. Downs revealed that his ambition for the season was to help Southampton back to the Premier League.
"I think Southampton is a big club that should be in the Premier League, and that's my goal – to help the team as much as I can to bring the club back to the Premier League."