Damion Downs explains how Mauricio Pochettino actually persuaded him to join Southampton

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Southampton’s quest for a new striker came to an end on Wednesday after announcing the signing of Damion Downs.

After Southampton sold Kamaldeen Sulemana to Atalanta, the Saints have invested some of that money into a new centre-forward, someone they hope can fire Will Still’s men to promotion.

Downs joins Southampton in a £7 million transfer from German side Cologne, following a campaign which saw him score 10 goals on their return to the Bundesliga.

Cologne boss Lukas Kwasniok has already broken his silence on the forward’s move to St Mary’s, seeing summer signing Ragnar Ache potentially stepping into the 21-year-old’s shoes.

But as Downs prepares for a new lease of life in the Championship, the USMNT striker has spoken of the influence Mauricio Pochettino had on his decision.

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Mauricio Pochettino persuaded Damion Downs to join Southampton

Downs was part of the USMNT side that lost against Mexico in the Gold Cup final on Monday, managed by former Southampton boss Pochettino.

The young striker came off the bench for the final 21 minutes but couldn’t turn the tide during a 2-1 defeat as Edson Alvarez scored a 77th-minute winner.

Attention will now turn to his career at Southampton, and after completing his transfer to the South Coast, the 2004-born centre-forward explained how Pochettino played a key role in the move.

“I knew it (that Pochettino managed Saints), we talked a little bit. He just told me how great the city is, how great the club is and the fans,” Downs told the Saints official website.

“The resume speaks for itself – Southampton had a lot of great players in the past, and I think this is the right move for me right now to make the next step in my career.”

Pochettino managed Southampton between January 2013 and May 2014 before joining Tottenham, with supporters always fond of what he achieved at the club.

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Downs pinpoints his best attributes

Downs will join a Southampton squad who possess an abundance of quality in attack, most notably Adam Armstrong, Cameron Archer and Ross Stewart.

And ahead of his first season in English football, he’s confident he can penetrate defensive lines with his runs and finish chances as well as create them for his teammates.

 “I think I have great finishing, good runs in behind, I can really hurt the defensive line of the opponent, and at the same time I think I’ve showed that I can also assist a lot of goals, so that’s pretty much what I bring to the game,” Downs added.

“I can’t wait to play in the stadium and in front of all of the fans. I’m really excited.”

As Southampton are one of the promotion favourites, they will need Downs to hit the ground running and become an instant hit in the second tier.