Southampton sign Steven Caulker on a season-long loan

Southampton sign Steven Caulker on a season-long loan deal from QPR

• Caulker was relegated from Premier League last season
• 23-year-old will replace Toby Alderweireld in central defence



Steven Caulker has joined Southampton on loan and is keen to prove himself after suffering back-to-back Premier League relegations with Cardiff City and last season, Queens Park Rangers.

The 23-year-old centre-back, a graduate of Tottenham’s academy, has signed for the season. Caulker, who has one England cap, scoring against Sweden in a November 2012 friendly, will fill the defensive void left by Toby Alderweireld’s move to Tottenham and a serious knee injury sustained by Florin Gardos.



Southampton are not understood to have a buy-out option as part of deal for which they paid a “substantial undisclosed loan fee”, according to QPR.

Caulker failed to impress after moving to QPR last summer for £8m – a similar fee to that paid by Cardiff to take him from Spurs in 2013. He is unavailable for Ronald Koeman’s side for Thursday night’s Europa League third-qualifying-round first leg at home to Vitesse Arnhem.

“As soon as I got the phone call to say a fee was agreed with Southampton I was delighted to get the opportunity to come and play under a great manager,” Caulker said. “This club is an ambitious one, so to be part of this is a great opportunity – it’s a chance for me to prove myself.”