Midfielder Bates joins the Saints after leaving Finnish club SJK Seinajoki, where he made 13 league appearances and two UEFA Europa Conference League matches.

The highly-rated 21-year-old started his career at Walsall, where he went through the Saddlers academy and made 68 appearances for the first team in all competitions, scoring twice before joining SJK in February 2022.

Welcome to St James Park Alfie!