Southampton's process of clearing some of the 'deadwood' St Mary's this summer has officially begun, as it was confirmed earlier this week that centre-back Wesley Hoedt has completed a permanent move to Anderlecht, which brings an end to his nightmare spell with the Saints.

Hampshire Live journalist Tom Leach confirmed the news on Twitter that the Dutch defender was gone for good, and you need only look in his replies to see that Southampton fans are delighted to see him finally leave.

The 27-year-old has endured a torrid time at St Mary's since joining the club for £15m from Lazio in 2017 and whilst no fee is mentioned, it seems likely that the Saints will have to have taken a serious loss on him in order to sell him to the Pro League side.

However, it is still a boost for the club as he had one year left on his deal with the South Coast side, and would inevitably have spent another season out on loan or out of the squad had he remained with Ralph Hasenhuttl's squad for next season.

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In the four years he has spent with Southampton, Hoedt has managed just 45 appearances for the first team, in which he has contributed one goal and one assist.

His last appearance for the club came in the 2018/19 Premier League season and he has subsequently spent time on loan with Celta Vigo, Royal Antwerp and Lazio, who were clearly not convinced to exercise their option to re-sign him this summer.

Having never made an appearance under Hasenhuttl, it seems clear that the Austrian would also have been desperate to see him leave permanently this summer, and hopefully, the money saved on his wages can go towards some summer signings.

Southampton have a number of centre-backs such as Jannik Vestergaard, Jan Bednarek, Mohammed Salisu and Jack Stephens who would have been ahead of Hoedt in the pecking order, so the Dutchman surely wouldn't have got a look in next season, and Saints fans will surely be buzzing that he is finally off the books.

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