Russell Martin: Southampton signings have shown they are 'hungry'

Saints have been active in the transfer market following last season's promotion from the Sky Bet Championship, bringing 11 players into their first-team squad.

Lesley Ugochukwu, signed on a season-long loan from Chelsea, Mateus Fernandes, a permanent arrival from Sporting, and Cameron Archer, who departed Aston Villa this summer, are among those to have excited Martin.

The Southampton boss said at a press conference: "They've only had a few training sessions but we're really excited to work with them.

"We want players who are hungry to be here and I've really been impressed by them in the first few days of training.

"They now need to get themselves into the team which is the biggest challenge. It's all down to their willingness to learn and being open to ideas.

"Lesley in the number six position will compete with Flynn (Downes) and he's adapting really nicely.

"Mateus is a really, really talented footballer and can be quite flexible in terms of position. We'll see how long it takes for them to adapt.

"Archer gives us flexibility. He's a proper goalscorer, quick, really intelligent with his movement. It's just about how he adapts to what we want. He's scored a lot of goals in training this week, looks sharp."

Southampton beat West Brom over two legs before they clinched promotion in May's play-off final against Leeds, and Martin wants a similar atmosphere this weekend to that of their 3-1 semi-final triumph.

"I hope the fans bring the same excitement as we got for the West Brom game," he said. "Give us everything you've got, we'll give you everything we've got." 

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