Southampton have been one of the busier Premier League sides in this summer’s transfer window.
The Saints have already signed four players ahead of the new league campaign which starts in 25 days time.
Gavin Bazunu and Romeo Lavia have moved to St Mary’s from Premier League champions Manchester City, and the former Citizens duo are joined by fellow new signings Armel Bella-Kotchap and Joe Aribo.
Ralph Hasenhüttl has been at the helm for over three-and-a-half years since taking the reins from Mark Hughes in December 2018.
In his first full season at the club, the Austrian guided Southampton to an 11th-place finish and amassed 52 points.
Hasenhüttl’s Saints side kick off the 2022-23 campaign with a difficult trip to Antonio Conte’s Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, 6 August.
While the Saints’ business model of signing young players and then selling them on for big money continues to reap its rewards, what if Southampton went against the grain and looked at re-signing some of their most famous names.
With that in mind, HITC Sport looks at five former players Southampton should re-sign.
Former players Southampton should re-sign
Danny Ings
In his first season at Villa Park following his £25m switch from St Mary’s, the thee-time England international scored seven goals and provided six assists from 30 Premier League appearances.
The 29-year-old scored seven league goals in his first season with Southampton before going on to net 22 goals during the 2019-20 campaign and 12 in 2020-21.
Ings will probably want to rediscover his prolific goalscoring form during his time with the Villains, but after having the best season of his career under Hasenhüttl and with places in Gareth Southgate’s World Cup squad up for grabs – a move back down south could be tempting.
In 88 games under Hasenhüttl, Villa’s number nine found the back of the net 41 times.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
A product of the Southampton academy, Oxlade-Chamberlain has spent two long spells on the sidelines at Liverpool due to knee injuries.
It’s hard to see the 28-year-old nailing down a place in Jurgen Klopp’s starting line-up and while he may have aspirations of making a late charge for a World Cup place, a move away from Anfield will likely present his best chance of catching Southgate’s attention.
Chamberlain’s contract on Merseyside expires next summer and after starting just 11 Premier League games across the last two seasons, a move to where his career all began could appeal to the former Arsenal man.
The 35-time England international’s form for the Saints resulted in Arsene Wenger signing the youngster and with him at threat of becoming somewhat of a forgotten man when it comes to English midfielders, a return to the Saints could help galvanise the powerful and pacey box-to-box midfielder.
Luke Shaw
Despite being at Manchester United for eight years following his £31m move from Southampton at the age of 18, Shaw has struggled with fitness, consistency and form at Old Trafford.
The left-back did extremely well to return from his tibia and fibula fracture in September 2015, but with Erik ten Hag signing fellow Dutch countryman Tyrell Malacia from Feyenoord, Shaw could face stern competition for the first real time since joining the Red Devils.
Shaw’s best season came in 2020-21 which was capped off by his influential performances at the European Championships.
But like his teammate Harry Maguire, there was a significant drop off last season and with Malacia waiting in the wings, Shaw cannot afford to start the season slowly.
If Malacia does start the season as Ten Hag’s first-choice left-back then Shaw could well consider his options as the transfer window draws to a close, and if he is on the fringes of the United first team, a loan return to Southampton where he rose to prominence under Mauricio Pochettino cannot be ruled out.
Jannik Vestergaard
The towering Danish centre-back only joined Leicester City last summer but he only started six Premier League games under Brendan Rodgers.
With the likes of Jonny Evans, Wesley Fofana and Caglar Soyuncu competing for the centre-back spots, it’s hard to envisage Vestergaard nailing down a starting spot at the King Power Stadium.
The 29-year-old, who reached the European Championship semi-finals with Denmark, made 79 appearances for the Saints across three seasons following his move from Gladbach.
Despite already signing fellow centre-back Bella-Kotchap this summer, Vestergaard may feel his playing prospects would be boosted via a return to the Saints.
Mohammed Salisu and Jan Bednarek were Southampton’s first-choice centre-back pairing last season but Vestergaard would fancy his chances of re-establishing himself at the heart of Hasenhüttl’s defence.
Dusan Tadic
The fifth and final former player Southampton should re-sign is one of Europe’s top creators who has elevated his game to new dizzy heights since signing for Ajax.
Yes, this is wishful thinking but we can all dream. Maybe instead of losing further young stars like Lisandro Martinez or Antony this summer, the reigning Eredivisie champions would prefer to part ways with a more senior head.
The Serbian playmaker spent four seasons with Southampton following his move from FC Twente from which he scored 24 goals and provided 35 assists.
But after being brought to Amsterdam by Ten Hag, the 33-year-old’s mind-blowing figures are up there with the very best players.
From 194 games for Ajax, the three-time Eredivisie winner, has 92 goals and 91 assists to his name. The left footed maestro is unlikely to have unfinished business in England, but if he feels he’s achieved all he can in the Netherlands then Southampton simply have to throw their hat in the ring.
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