Fraser Forster has signed a new contract that will keep him at St Mary's till 2022, a great boost to the Saints support who were worried about losing key players this summer.
Fraser Forster did not have the best season last year, for the best part of it he did not find the form that he had shown in his first two years at the club, but not all of that was down to Forster himself.
Goalkeepers are often only as good as the defence in front of them and previous to this term Forster had enjoyed a strong back four that did not only have quality but consistency in both standards and also appearances, Forster built up a rapport where he knew what the defenders would deal with and they knew what he would and would not claim as his.
Last season had none of that, there was too much chopping and changing in the back four, some of it unavoidable through injury and some of it rotational and that was not much help to Forster who was the only ever present in the Premier League for Saints in a season that was up and down.
It is perhaps pertinent to note that up to Christmas Saints in the main showed their defensive steel, it was only after that suddenly the back four was all change and suddenly we went from one of the best in the division to one of the worst, Forster took his share of the blame, but the reality was that in front of him he had what had started the season as the 3rd and fifth choice central defenders and that took time to develope and understanding.
But Forster has a good reputation throughout the league and with the right defenders in front of him will be a key element for Saints going forward, he is big strong and reliable, if he can find his previous consistency then there are few better in the division.
His signing sends out the right message to not only his team mates, but also the supporters and other clubs, that Saints mean business and are looking to build a squad and not sell.
Speaking to the club's website Forster said.
"I'm delighted,I have absolutely loved my time here at Southampton so far and when the opportunity came along to extend it I didn't think twice about it. "
"I think it's a fantastic club to be at, with a really bright future, and the ambition shown at the club is one where we want to move the club forward, so for me it was a no-brainer.
"I feel like with the squad we've got and the players we've got that we've got a fantastic group.
"Obviously, we had the experience in Europe last year and getting to a cup final as well, so I think they are two things we all want to experience again and I think moving forward that's what the club wants.
"We want to do well in every competition and see where it takes us."