Premier League strugglers Southampton loaned Dutch defender Wesley Hoedt to La Liga outfit Celta Vigo in the January transfer window.
Wesley Hoedt has confirmed that he is keen to stay at Celta Vigo on a permanent basis, while speaking to Faro de Vigo.
The Dutch defender had been a regular in Southampton’s starting XI after his £15 million move from Lazio in the summer of 2017 (BBC) but found himself out of favour once Ralph Hasenhuttl replaced Mark Hughes in the St Mary’s dugout.
As a result, Hoedt moved to Celta Vigo on loan in January, following Sofiane Boufal to the La Liga strugglers. Celta are seventh in the table, just two points above the relegation zone but the Holland international has indicated that he is still more than happy with life in Andalucía.
“I am happy. I like the city and the club, the people are very friendly. The first impressions are very positive,” Hoedt said when asked about his future with the 2017 Europa League semi-finalists.
“I love being here but I still have a contract with Southampton. Now I play for Celta and I will do everything I can to give them my best football.
“As I said, we’ll see what happens this summer but of course I’d like to stay with this great club.”
As reported by the Mail, Celta have the option to sign Hoedt permanently in the summer, although it is unknown how much he would cost. Any deal is likely to depend wholly on whether they avoid relegation to the Segunda however.
In Hoedt’s absence, Southampton have failed to really pull clear of the relegation zone though there was little they could do about any of the sublime goals scored by Manchester United in Saturday’s dramatic 3-2 defeat at Old Trafford.
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