Manning signs for Saints
Southampton Football Club is delighted to announce the signing of Ryan Manning on a free transfer following the expiry of his contract with Swansea City, subject to international clearance.
The 27-year-old left-back, who can also play on the wing, becomes Saints’ first arrival of the summer transfer window on a four-year deal, reuniting with former Swans boss Russell Martin at St Mary’s.
A Republic of Ireland international with six caps to his name, Manning moved to England in 2015 from hometown club Galway United after making an impressive impact in Irish football both with Galway and Mervue United, with whom he starred in a promotion-winning campaign as a 17-year-old.
Joining Queens Park Rangers at 18, he has since played seven successive seasons in the Championship, racking up more than 200 appearances in the division for QPR, Rotherham, where he moved on loan in 2018, and Swansea.
Arriving at the Liberty Stadium in 2020, Manning featured in the Championship play-off final against Brentford in his debut season and later became a key figure under Martin, contributing five goals and ten assists last term, developing an impressive reputation as one of the most creative players in the league.
Russell Martin said: "Firstly, he's a brilliant character. He's got a real edge to him. He's got a fantastic personality, a lot of energy and was a really important member of our group at Swansea, not just on the pitch but off it as well.
“In terms of on the pitch, he's an outstanding footballer who has a brilliant understanding of what we want. He played in a few positions for us previously, and he's coming here as a left-back because he ended up performing as one of the best left-backs in the division last year.
“We've beaten competition from two clubs in the Premier League for him, which I'm really pleased about, because I thought the lure of that would make it difficult for us, but he's come here because he knows the work and he believes in it.”
Ryan Manning puts pen to paper at Staplewood Campus (Photos: Matt Watson)
Ryan Manning said: "I'm absolutely delighted to be here. I'm over the moon and I can't wait to get started. It's a massive club, been in the Premier League for so many years, and I'm just excited about the challenge of getting it back there.
"With the gaffer coming here, knowing his style of football and how he wants his team to play, it felt like a perfect fit for me where the club and the manager lined up.
"You're coming to a Premier League football club that's in the Championship, so the ambition is promotion and nothing else, and that's exactly what I was looking for as the next move in my career. I think it's the perfect club for me to come to, the ambition is massive and everyone as a collective is working towards getting back to the Premier League.”
