IT'S ADAM LALLANA WEEK: 9th to 15th January

Adam David Lallana (born 10 May 1988) was born in St Albans, Lallana began his career with Southampton as a youth player in 2000. He signed professional terms in 2006, and has remained with the club since.

Early life
Lallana was born in St Albans but moved to the Iford area of Bournemouth when he was five years old.

Club career
Lallana was a member of the Bournemouth Centre of Excellence, where his rich potential was eventually spotted by a talent scout from Southampton, with Lallana snapped up by the then-Premier League club, joining the Saints Academy as a 12-year old in 2000. Southampton paid £3,000 compensation to Bournemouth with further payments of £5,000 and £10,000 when he signed scholarship and professional contracts respectively. The contract with Southampton provides for Bournemouth to receive 25% of any transfer fee, in addition to the payments already made.

Lallana was involved in Southampton's FA Youth Cup squads of 2004–05 and 2005–06, when they reached the final and semi-final respectively.

Lallana joined the first team squad in July 2006, making his debut on 23 August 2006, in a 5–2 victory over Yeovil Town, in the League Cup. On 31 October 2006 he signed a new contract to keep him at Southampton until December 2009. On 9 October 2007 he joined Bournemouth on loan for one month. On 28 April 2008, Lallana scored his first professional goal for Southampton against West Bromwich Albion in a crucial Championship clash, with a well placed finish in the bottom left corner.

He became a regular in the first team at the start of the 2008–09 season. On 29 August 2008, he signed a new three year deal with the Saints.

He finished the 2009–10 season with a total of twenty goals in all competitions, netting his 20th on the final day of the season against Southend United. This made him the first Southampton midfielder to score twenty goals in a season, beating David Armstrong's 19 in the 1983–84 season.

Today Adam signed a new 4 and a half year contract with Saints.

International career
Lallana has played for England Under-18s, scoring on his debut against Slovenia, 18 months after undergoing an operation to correct an irregular heartbeat.