Saints snapped up rising starlet Lee Holmes on a Bosman free transfer in June 2008.

The talented left-sided midfielder was out of contract at Derby. Leeds and Nottingham Forest were also said to be keen on the 21-year-old who became the Rams' youngest ever player when he appeared against Grimsby on Boxing Day 2002 aged just 15 years and 268 days.

Holmes has opted for Saints largely because of the new coaching structure which means he is more likely to get first-team football.

Holmes saw it as a huge opportunity to kick-start a hugely promising career with the platform of regular games.

At one time he was the youngest player ever to appear in the "proper" rounds of the FA Cup although that record has since been taken by Gillingham striker Luke Freeman.

He has scored six goals for England Under 19's including one in their 3-1 defeat by France in the 2005 European Championship finals.

He has had successful loan spells at Bradford and Swindon where he was named their Young Player of the Season. And he spent the second half of the 2007-08 campaign on loan at Walsall.

Injuries hampered his first season at St. Mary's but he was able to get two goals in the early rounds of the League Cup.