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28 July, 2014

What's Next for Southampton?


Instinctively, of course, one would be inclined to believe Southampton are ready to take a steep nose dive toward relegation.  Gareth Bale, Theo Walcott, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are the household premier league names known to have jumped ship from the South, but this summer has been an all-out firesale, with the hot retail spot being located at St. Mary’s Stadium.  With the departures of Dejan Lovren to Liver(hampton)pool and Calum Chambers to Arsenal, there is even more of a gaping chasm in the Southampton first team, joining Adam Lallana, Luke Shaw, Rickie Lambert, and manager Maurico Pochettino who is chasing glory at Tottenham these days.  Enter Ronald Koeman.

Ronald Koeman is a relative unknown to premier league viewers, but his pedigree stretches far beyond the English game.  Koeman is the only man in history to have played and managed for Ajax, PSV, and Feyenoord.  Koeman was instrumental in the rise of both Rafael Van Der Vaart and Wesley Sneijder at Ajax, and recently has overseen the miniature revolution of Dutch internationals at Feyenoord.  His playing career as a defender was outstanding as well, making 192 appearances for Barcelona, while serving impressive stints at the finest Dutch teams in the league.  In his day, Koeman was as unique as players come, earning the title of the highest scoring defender in the world.  Koeman’s attacking prowess would be unprecedented in modern football (to give you an idea, David Luiz is a poor-man’s Ronald Koeman).  

Koeman is more than capable of taking the skeleton squad of last years giant success, and people must keep in mind that there is still a long way to go in the transfer window.  Southampton’s profits have been more than exceptional from their transfer dealings, and the loss of Mauricio Pochettino has been softened by the arrival of Koeman.  At 25 million, 16 million, and 20 million, Lallana, Chambers, and Lovren were likely sold above market value.  As Arsene Wenger points out however, the market for English players is very inflated right now, and signing one is a gamble in itself.  There are still players out there who may surprise you, and certain players Southampton could bring in that we’ve never heard of.  One thing, however, remains constant at Southampton, and that’s the strength of its famed academy.  

James Ward-Prowse is one player I believe will surprise a lot of folks this season.  Ward-Prowse, a 19-year old Saints academy product, scored the goal of the tournament against Brazil in the 2014 Toulon tournament, an event prior to the World Cup that showcases international stars of the future.  Jack Stephens is another youngster who can make an impact at his club this year, as are Sam Gallagher, Sam McQueen, and Harrison Reed (all teenage Southampton products).  There are several established internationals already on the Saints’ payroll in Victor Wanyama, Maya Yoshida, Gaston Ramirez, and recently-signed Artur Boruc.  Koeman’s first signing of the summer went largely unnoticed, as Serbain international attacking midfielder Dusan Tadic joined from FC Twente.  Tadic was integral to Serbia’s World Cup bid, and has been a full international since 2011.   

Furthermore, players like Jose Fonte, Jack Cork and Nathaniel Clyne, all outstanding performers last season in my opinion, are still around and will only continue to improve.  Cork is poised on the ball in central midfield, while Nathaniel Clyne (first choice over Chambers last season) has blistering pace and can change the game with it.  One thing people underestimate about Southampton is their depth which is unfortunately taking a backseat to the hype surrounding players joining new clubs.  Thus, at this point holding onto Jay Rodriguez and Morgan Schneiderlin would be luxuries for the club.  In the unlikely case that both stay, Southampton will have two fine examples for their understudies to continue to grow under.  

Southampton have always been a phenomenal club when it comes to turning out young stars, and what people seem to not be giving them any credit for is continuing to do that in the future.  Given that they’re a premier league team and not a championship side as they were when the aforementioned departing players were coming up through the squad, I expect Southampton to continue and produce outstanding young talent.  While the likes of Lallana, Shaw, and Chambers will duel it out at bigger clubs for playing time, Southampton’s newest crop of rising stars will be given leeway to see the field regularly and perhaps earn themselves a chance to compete at a title-contending club in the years to come. 

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