James Bree became the tenth signing of a busy transfer window when he arrived on deadline day from Southampton on loan until January.

27 year old Bree is a right sided defender who played under Nathan Jones at Luton before being signed by the Welshman at Southampton in 2023. Bree went on to play 50 times for the Saints, including 17 appearances in the Premier League last season.

Born in Wakefield the defender came through Barnsley’s youth academy and made 61 appearances for the first team before making a switch to Aston Villa. The move was ultimately unsuccessful with loan moves to Ipswich Town and Luton Town. Nathan Jones then decided to make the move permanent. Across his two spells for the Hatters Bree made 143 appearances. When Jones moved to Southampton, Bree was the only player he took with him.

The Yorkshireman can play as a right wing back or a central defender. It is likely he will be providing competition to both Rob Apter at right wing back and Kayne Ramsay on the right of the back three. He is skilled at moving the ball up the pitch and snapping at the ankles of defenders when pressing high. Another key attribute is his dead ball delivery which should be an upgrade on the rest of the squad.

On completion of the deal Jones said: "I’m really pleased we’ve been able to bring in James. It’s a position we’ve been trying to fill for a long time. I signed him at Luton and he did wonderfully, and I bought him at Southampton to play in the Premier League. He’s someone I have real faith in."

Bree said: "I’m absolutely delighted to get it over the line. It all happened really quickly in the last couple of days once I spoke to the gaffer. I’ve obviously worked with him before and he really got the best out of me. I’m looking forward to playing in front of all of the fans.”

Welcome to SE7, James.