CHERRIES boss Eddie Howe has hailed as “a real coup” the signing of versatile Southampton defender Dan Seaborne.

Seaborne this afternoon joined Cherries on loan for the remainder of the season, a move revealed exclusively by our sister paper the Southern Daily Echo.

The 25-year-old joined Southampton two years ago after helping Exeter City claim back-to-back promotions from the Conference to League One.

Barnstaple-born Seaborne made three appearances for Saints in the League Cup this season and also played seven times during a loan spell in the Championship with Charlton.

Although he was an unused substitute during Saints’ draw at Chelsea on Wednesday, Seaborne has yet to feature in the Premier League following their promotion to the top flight.

Out of contract at St Mary’s in the summer, Seaborne worked at Exeter with Cherries’ football operations and recruitment manager John Yems.

Boss Howe told the Daily Echo: “Dan is a player we have always liked and we have been aware of him since his days at Exeter. We have watched him regularly at Southampton as well.

“He is a left-sided defender, he is very experienced and is a leader. He is composed on the ball and good in the air and has all the attributes that we look for in a player.

“We certainly feel we need defensive cover and he can operate at left-back as well. It is a signing that boosts our numbers defensively and adds competition for the squad. And with Steve Cook’s court case pending, I think it was a signing we needed to make.

“Dan was recently on loan at Charlton and we kept tabs on him while he was there. He played left-back for them and did very well.

“From his perspective, he is out of contract at the end of the season and very much wanted to go on loan and play some football. We managed to beat two Championship clubs to his signing and it is a real coup for us.”