IT'S STEVE DE RIDDER WEEK: 24th to 30th July

With thanks to GeorgeWeahsCousin.....

Saints yesterday completed the signing of 24 year old winger Steve de Ridder from Dutch club de Graafschap.

The Belgian wideman has joined the club for a fee thought to be around £500k - £1m and will wear the number 33 shirt.

An exciting prospect, it is thought that a host of other clubs in England and across Europe had been tracking him.

Comfortable on either wing, de Ridder is a self proclaimed provider, but also has some spectacular long range goals to his name. He did score seventeen goals in 2007/08 for Belgian second division side VW Hamme.

Yet to be capped by his country he will be hoping to propel himself on to the radar of the Belgian coach in the English Championship.

Former Saints loanee Jan-Paul Saejis, de Ridder's teammate at de Graafschap is said to have helped sell the club to him.



From Wikipedia.....

Steve De Ridder ( Ghent , 25 February 1987 ) is a Belgian footballer. In July 2011 he signed a three year contract with Southampton FC , ​​which is estimated at over € 1 million - paid for him to De Graafschap

AA Gent
The attacker began playing soccer at the youth of VSV Ghent . Afterwards he played in the youth series of Lokeren and AA Gent . In 2005, De Ridder recorded in the first team AA Gent, but soon loaned out to third grader Eendracht Aalst . There he scored six times in as many games, where he was a professional contract with AA Gent received.

VW Hamme
Gent then coach Georges Leekens was not completely convinced of De Ridder's abilities, he was two seasons on loan to VW Hamme.


BV County
As of the 2008/2009 season he was donning the team colors of De Graafsch. He played three seasons in nearly one hundred league games in which he scored twelve times.