So'ton sign Romanian defender

Southampton have completed the signing of Romanian defender Florin Gardos from Steaua Bucuresti on a long-term deal.

The 25-year-old has been linked with a switch to the South Coast club, with manager Ronald Koeman considering the talented centre-back as a direct replacement for Dejan Lovren, who joined Liverpool earlier in the summer.

Florin revealed his delight at the chance of plying his trade in the Premier League with the Saints.

"This is one of the happiest days of my life. It's the biggest step of my career so far," Gardos said. "Coming to the Premier League is a very big occasion for me, and Southampton was a team that had a really good last season so this wasn't really a hard decision."

Southampton face-off  against Liverpool at Anfield in their opening game of the Premier League season.