Southampton have completed the signing of Villarreal forward Ben Brereton Diaz for £7m, with the English-born Chile international signing a four-year deal.
The 25-year-old only joined the Yellow Submarine last summer following the expiration of his contract at Blackburn Rovers but, after failing to score in his first 20 games for the Spanish club, he joined Sheffield United on loan in January.
He managed six goals in 14 appearances for the Blades but was unable to help them avoid relegation to the Championship.
However, with Che Adams, David Brooks and Ryan Fraser all departing this summer, the Saints were in the market for a new forward.
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His career so far...
After being released from Manchester United's academy aged 14, Brereton Diaz moved to his hometown club Stoke City before being snapped up by then-Championship side Nottingham Forest in 2015.
After impressing in the academy, netting 15 goals in 20 appearances, he made his first-team debut in 2017 and ended the season with three goals in just over 1000 minutes - winning the Championship Apprentice of the Year award.
In August 2018, Brereton Diaz moved to Blackburn on loan, a move which was then made permanent in January for £7m despite a slow start to life in East Lancashire.
However, the 2021/22 season is when his career really took off after netting 22 times - including a hat-trick against Cardiff in September that sent him on his way to winning the Championship Player of the Month award.
14 goals the following season saw him being linked with a big move away, with Brereton Diaz announcing that he would leave Rovers in 2023 following the expiration of his contract.
A number of Premier League clubs were reportedly interested in the forward, including the likes of West Ham, Aston Villa, Brighton and his new club Southampton, but he opted for a new challenge outside of England.
During his time at Villarreal, he failed to score in 20 appearances but, after a relatively successful time on loan at Sheffield United, the Saints have decided that he is the man to replace Che Adams.
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His change of name
It is fair to say that Brereton Diaz's story is somewhat of a footballing fairytale, particularly as he has become an unlikely national hero in Chile after switching allegiances from England.
After finding out through the video game Football Manager that he was eligible to play for Chile because of his mother, fans led a social media campaign to get him to switch away from England - a campaign that worked.
After being called up to the national side in 2021, he added his mother's surname, Diaz, to his name and announced that he would continue to use it at club level too.
Since then, he has scored seven times for Chile in 33 appearances. However off the pitch, he has appeared on countless billboards around the country, as well as featuring in television adverts, documentaries, and even as the face for Pepsi's advertising campaign.
Despite all of this, he has since been dropped from the national side for not being able to speak Spanish, with manager Ricardo Gareca believing that he has had enough time to do so and is essential he learns.
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Reuniting a deadly attack
Brereton Diaz may have started to flourish once Adam Armstrong had moved on from Blackburn, but if Southampton can get them both on form in the same team, their attack might just be one to fear.
In Armstrong's final season at Rovers before moving onto the Saints, he netted 28 times and assisted five, whilst his Chilean teammate scored seven and also assisted five.
The manager of Blackburn at the time, Tony Mowbray, deployed Brereton Diaz on the left and Armstrong through the middle, a tactic Russell Martin could also use given the gaps left by both Adams and Fraser.
However, both players are capable of playing anywhere along the frontline, meaning the Saints' versatility and unpredictability could be a real problem for the rest of the league.
