Not many of Saints’ recent signings have performed at the level that is required in the Premier League.
There was a time when fans of other clubs were envious of Southampton’s academy and recruitment team. The Saints have produced a number of fantastic players over the years and have made incredible profits from transfers as well.
Theo Walcott and Gareth Bale made them good money back in the day while, more recently, Sadio Mane and Virgil van Dijk increased their profits to levels that they probably never thought possible.
However, with the bigger clubs being more attentive about potential gems, Southampton have struggled to bring in the same kind of players who could be sold after a year or two for enormous profits.
Mario Lemina, an exciting signing from Italian champions Juventus, has not exactly gone up in value and is currently on loan in Turkey at Galatasaray. His performances haven’t been convincing enough for the Turks to make a big offer for him at the end of the season.
Mohamed Elyounoussi is another player out on loan after failing to register a goal or an assist in 19 appearances for Southampton last season.
Summer signings Che Adams and Moussa Djenepo haven’t fulfilled their potential either. The former is yet to break his duck for the Saints, while the Mali international has only shown flashes of what he is capable of.
Ralph Hasenhuttl is a fantastic manager who can help the Saints reach new heights. However, they will have to change their outdated transfer policy and back their boss with sufficient funds to bring in more established players.
Saints were awfully close to getting relegated last season and were favourites to go down at one point this term. If they decide to stick to their policy, they will return to the Championship which would be a humongous blow, financially, for a club as big as Southampton.
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