How Southampton could have lined up in the Premier League season had they kept hold of their best players.
Southampton manager Claude Puel before the match
Season after season Southampton seem offload their best players and managers and rebuild, yet in recent years they have not shown any real signs of being on the decline.
Sometimes they have even seemed to have improved despite their constant selling of star players and replacing them with relatively unknown gems which they can later sell on for a huge profit.
It is a nice efficient cycle that seems to be working well – though who knows how long it can last.
And while the Saints seem content with challenging for the Europa League places, it would be interesting to see just how competitive their team could have hypothetically been if they had not sold their top players.
Would it be a team capable of going that step further and challenging for the title, or would it just be a marginal improvement?
Here is Southampton’s XI if they kept their best players:
Fraser Forster (GK)
England international Fraser Forster has been in fine form for Southampton since signing from Celtic in the summer of 2014, emerging as one of the Premier League’s top goalkeepers.
The 28-year-old became the first goalkeeper in over two years and only the ninth ever to be handed the Premier League player of the month award for his performances in February.
Forster kept six consecutive clean sheets for the Saints last season and is currently staking a convincing claim for being named England’s number one keeper ahead of Joe Hart.
Nathaniel Clyne (RB)
Another England international, Nathaniel Clyne made over 100 appearances for the Saints, scoring five goals before he was shipped out to Liverpool in the summer of 2015 for £12.5m.
The 25-year-old right-back has proven himself to be one of the Premier League’s best players in his position and has become a frequent starter in the England national set-up.
Although the Saints have since managed to replace Clyne with European Championship-winning full-back Cedric Soares, the former likely would be the club’s preferred choice if he were still there.
Toby Alderweireld (CB)
Belgian defender Toby Alderweireld has proven himself to be one of the Premier League’s best defenders since arriving in England from Atletico Madrid in 2014.
The 27-year-old joined the Saints on a season-long loan and looked to have secured a permanent deal last summer only for league rivals Tottenham Hotspur to swoop in with an improved offer.
During his first season at Spurs, Alderweireld was named the club’s Player of the Year and was also part of the Premier League Team of the Year as he helped his team secure a record high third-placed finish.
Jose Fonte (CB)
Veteran defender and Saints captain Jose Fonte is still at the very top of his game even at 32.
Having just won the European Championships with Portugal, Fonte will be hoping for another positive season on the South Coast after taking the club from League One to European football in just four seasons.
The 6ft 2in centre-back has proven himself as one of the top flight’s most formidable defenders in recent seasons and would be a welcome addition to any side despite his advancing years.
Luke Shaw (LB)
In 2014 Luke Shaw became the most expensive teenager of all time as he moved to Manchester United for £30m.
By the time he was 18, Shaw was already a regular starter for a Southampton side enjoying one of their best ever periods in the Premier League.
Now 21, the England international left-back is regarded as one of the hottest young prospects in world football despite an injury-hit spell at United so far.
However, now that he is back to full fitness you can expect Shaw to make a big impact under new manager Jose Mourinho at Old Trafford.
Morgan Schneiderlin (CM)
Yet another player who swapped the South Coast for the North West, French midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin was sold to Manchester United for £24m last summer.
The 26-year-old had been at the Saints since he was a teenager and was part of the dramatic rise from the third tier of English football all the way to the European qualification.
The French international became famed for his industrious performances in the middle of the park and is one of the most highly regarded defensive midfielders in the Premier League.
Adam Lallana (CM)
Former Southampton captain Adam Lallana played 265 times for the club, scoring 60 goals during a successful eight year spell in the first team.
Helping the Saints return to the Premier League following back-to-back promotions, the 28-year-old just seemed to keep getting better before he earned a £25m move to Liverpool in 2014.
The England international has experienced relative success at Anfield though, helping the Merseyside club to League Cup and Europa League finals last season.
But it was at Southampton where Lallana truly shone as a player as he achieved the unprecedented feat of being named in the PFA Team of the Year for League One, Championship and Premier League in the space of just four seasons.
Sadio Mane (RW)
Sadio Mane developed a reputation for being one of the Premier League’s most prolific wingers during his two seasons at St. Mary’s.
The Senegalese international became the most expensive African player of all time this summer as he sealed a £34m switch to Liverpool where he has already impressed under Jurgen Klopp.
Averaging a goal every three games for the Saints, Mane is most renowned for scoring the Premier League’s fastest ever hat-trick as he bagged three goals in just 176 seconds during the 6-1 victory over Aston Villa in 2014-15.
The 24-year-old’s pace and trickery is bound to cause any defence problems and Southampton face a difficult task to replace him.
Gareth Bale (CAM)
A player that needs no introduction, Gareth Bale is unarguably one of the greatest talents in world football right now.
After just sealing his second Champions League triumph with Real Madrid last season, Bale went on to enjoy a fantastic European Championships with Wales as he scored three goals to help the Dragons reach the semi-finals.
The 27-year-old winger began his career at Southampton, scoring five goals in 45 appearances as a youngster before really making a name for himself at Spurs.
The versatile Welshman can play on either wing as well as in a more central position and it’s fair to say that any Premier League team that has him in their squad stands a good chance of challenging for the title.
Theo Walcott (LW)
Walcott, like Bale, was also a product of Southampton’s youth academy, though the Englishman’s career has never quite met the same heights as his Welsh counterpart.
Sold to Arsenal in 2006, Walcott was thrust into the limelight as England manager Sven Goran Eriksson named the youngster in his World Cup squad when he was just 17.
Strangely, it’s the only World Cup squad the winger has been part of to date as he has struggled with injuries and form during his time with the Gunners.
However, the 27-year-old’s rapid pace continues to cause problems and he can be hugely influential when he is on form.
Graziano Pelle (ST)
While the rest of the team has looked pretty strong up until this point, Southampton seem to be somewhat lacking in real top-quality options up front.
While the Rickie Lambert was superb for the Saints, he would have virtually no chance of getting in the team these days so instead we’ve opted for the big Italian Graziano Pelle to lead the line.
The 31-year-old enjoyed a decent Euro 2016 with the Azzurri before signing for Chinese team Shandong Luneng for £12m, and before that he had enjoyed two very good seasons at St. Mary’s.
A 10- to 15-goal-a-season striker in the English top flight, Pelle was the ideal target man for the Saints and with the pace of Sadio Mane and Shane Long around him, goals weren’t hard to come by.
As good with his feet as he is with his head, Pelle would be a strong addition to this team particularly given the players giving him service.
Full XI (4-2-3-1): Forster; Clyne, Alderweireld, Fonte, Shaw; Schneiderlin, Lallana; Mane, Bale, Walcott; Pelle
Substitutes: Dejan Lovren (CB), Ryan Bertrand (LB), Jay Rodriguez (ST), Virgil van Dijk (CB), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (CAM), Dusan Tadic (LM), Shane Long (ST)
There is no arguing that this is an excellent team capable of achieving European football quite comfortably though, it is hard to say whether or not it could win the league.
Gareth Bale is perhaps the only player in the entire squad who would easily get into any Premier League side whereas the rest would not necessarily be certain to start for teams at the top.
So where would this squad rank in respects to others in the Premier League? Well, you have to say it’s probably better than the likes of Liverpool, Tottenham, Leicester and possibly even Arsenal as well – though that’s about it in regards to teams at the top.
In terms of who would manage the side, it’s a toss-up between Mauricio Pochettino and Ronald Koeman – personally, we’d go for the latter.
Do you think this team could win the Premier League?
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