Republic of Ireland international Shane Long has put pen to paper and has signed a new two year contract with Premier League side Southampton.
RTE Sport report that long, who was due to become a free agent is now set to remain at St Mary’s till the end of the 2021/22 season. Long has been ever present at the club since 2014. He has made over 200 appearances for the club. The 33 year old is said to be delighted. The Tipperary man has been a key part of Ralph Hassenhuttl’ squad for the last 18 months and he now has another two years to look forward to. Long has scored 35 goals for the club, with 8 coming since the new managers arrival.
Speaking to Southamptonfc.com Saints boss Hassenhuttl said, “Shane is an outstanding professional. He has been an important player for me and I know also for the managers before me. He continued, “He has scored some big goals for us and helped to create many more for his teammates too. I think that is one of his top qualities. He is a great team player, and someone who has a positive impact on the group as a whole when he plays”.
Long also speaking to the club website said “he loves what the clubs stands for” and is looking forward to the next couple of years to see what the club can achieve. He continued, “I can see the club pushing up the league, back to where we all want to be, and I want to be part of that. I’m just delighted to get it done.”
Hassenhuttl has also signed a new deal at club for another four years. Alongside Ralph, Richard Kitzbichler has also extended his contract as First Team Assistant Coach, and will continue to work alongside the existing first team staff of Craig Fleming, Dave Watson, Kelvin Davis, Andrew Sparkes and Alek Gross. Speaking to the Southampton website he said, Ralph Hasenhüttl said: “This, for me, was a simple decision. Simple because of the relationship that I have built with the club, the players and the fans, and also because of the relationship they have built with me too.”
