‘What if Southampton had been able to keep their best players?’ This question has become something of a cliché in recent years.
Indeed, after the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Dejan Lovren, Dusan Tadic, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Victor Wanyama joined some of the biggest clubs in Europe, people continues to ponder just how good the Saints could have been.
It’s a fair point. Some absolute world-beaters have passed through St Mary’s in recent years, but what is sometimes ignored is the Saints’ academy and their youth recruitment.
Today, we’re going to look at what Southampton’s team could have looked like if they’d kept hold of all of their best young talents.
GK: Paulo Gazzaniga
Southampton haven’t had the best track record when it comes to young goalkeepers, but one player who did join the Saints as a youngster was Paulo Gazzaniga.
The Argentine came to the south coast as a 20-year-old, and he’s carved out a respectable career since, playing for both Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham.
RB: Calum Chambers
Calum Chambers burst onto the scene at Southampton as a right-back, but he’s since been moved into the centre of defence at Arsenal, while he also had a stint in the midfield during his loan spell at Fulham.
Chambers is currently starring for Aston Villa after making the move from Arsenal in January.
CB: Ben White
This is one Southampton have lived to regret.
Ben White was released by the Saints at the age of 16, and he’s since gone on to become a £50m defender and an England international.
Now starring at Arsenal, White could well be playing Champions League football next season.
CB: Tyrone Mings
Another England international who was released as a teenager, Tyrone Mings was let go by Southampton in 2009 after they cut their youth budget.
We have no idea how much the club saved in cutting youth costs back then, but it probably wasn’t as much as the £25m Aston Villa paid to sign Mings in 2019.
LB: Luke Shaw
The fourth England international in our backline, Luke Shaw has a major international tournament final goal to his name after netting for England against Italy at Euro 2020.
He’s had a shaky season at Manchester United, but there’s no doubting he’s one of the best full-backs in the country.
CM: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain broke through at Southampton as a speedy, tricky winger, but these days, he’s a solid central midfielder at Liverpool.
Oxlade-Chamberlain is the first of three Champions League winners in this side, and if it weren’t for injuries, he’d probably have been an England regular for years.
CM: Adam Lallana
Another midfielder who ended up at Liverpool, Southampton fans know all about Lallana’s skills.
His career is probably winding down at this point, but as some of his performances for Brighton have shown, he still has plenty to offer at this level.
CM: James Ward-Prowse
Southampton supporters don’t need telling just how good James Ward-Prowse is.
A tireless midfielder and arguably the greatest set-piece taker on the planet, Ward-Prowse is the only player in this side who has never left St Mary’s.
RW: Theo Walcott
Now back at Southampton, Theo Walcott was seen as the next big thing when he broke through as a 16-year-old on the south coast.
The winger would end up playing for both Arsenal and Everton, before returning to St Mary’s where it all started.
Walcott never hit the heights that were expected of him, but it’s fair to say he’s had a fantastic career by most players’ standards.
ST: Sadio Mane
This one is bending the rules a little bit, but Mane was signed as a 22-year-old, and while he wasn’t an academy graduate, Southampton’s eye for young talents also deserves to be celebrated.
Another Champions League-winning player, Mane has proven to be one of the deadliest wide players in Premier League history.
However, after his recent exploits for Liverpool as a centre-forward, he leads the line in this team.
LW: Gareth Bale
One of world football’s true superstars, Gareth Bale has no fewer than four Champions League winners’ medals to his name.
A two-time PFA Player of the Year winner and at one point the most expensive footballer in history. Bale is not only the best player the Southampton academy has produced in recent years, but he’s arguably the best player any English side has produced this millennium.
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