Pelle explains why he always wanted to play with Tadic – even before joining Southampton

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The Italy striker says he wanted to play with the Serb during his time in the Eredivisie.

Southampton striker Graziano Pelle admits he wanted to play with Dusan Tadic even before the duo moved to the Premier League.

Ronald Koeman brought the pair to St Mary’s from the Netherlands this summer and both were instrumental in Saturday’s 8-0 drubbing of Sunderland.

And Pelle says he wanted to play with Tadic before they joined the Saints, with the Italian then at Feyenoord and Tadic at FC Twente.

“When I was in Holland, I had a question: which player would you like to play with? I said: ‘Dusan. Many No 10s are a bit selfish. Not Dusan. He always wants to be dangerous,'” Pelle is quoted as saying by the Daily Mail.

As Opta stats show, the dynamic duo’s impact at Southampton has been phenomenal since their arrival on the South Coast.

Pelle is third-highest scorer in the Premier League, only behind the irrepressible pairing of Sergio Aguero and Diego Costa (and how much did he cost in comparison to them?).

Tadic, meanwhile, has registered the joint-highest number of Premier League assists this season – the same number as Cesc Fabregas of all people. The Serbia international had made three assists before this weekend gone and made no less than four against Sunderland.