Saints have had yet another summer of turmoil after months of promises that the club were now in a position to reject approaches for key figures at the club.
Saints are currently without a manager at St. Mary’s but look set to appoint French manager, Claude Puel, in the coming days. Whomever succeeds Ronald Koeman, will have look to use the funds generated from the sale of Victor Wanyama and Liverpool’s annual donation, in order to bolster the squad for the coming season.
The South Coast club will be looking to take the chance of European football with both hands next season after a poor showing last time out, and therefore will need a competitive squad in order to go the distance on all fronts.
Over a few pints of TT Ale, Saints fans in the Football Transfer Tavern have, with what’s left, been scrabbling together a possible starting XI for the first game of the season, and here it is…
GK: Fraser Forster
One of the few players to return from England’s dismal European adventure this summer with his stock actually raised, with many calling for the 28-year-old to replace Joe Hart as England no.1.
The former Celtic and Newcastle keeper made quite possibly the best comeback from injury that any keeper could have asked for last season and looks to be a key member of the Saints squad for years to come.
RB: Cedric Soares
Having enjoyed a good start to his career at Southampton, Cedric began to fall out of favour with Ronald Koeman towards the end of last season, however he did enough to earn a place in the Portugal squad for the Euros this summer.
The 24-year-old offers a lot going forward and showed enough last season to suggest that he can become a very good Premier League defender over the next couple of seasons.
CB: Virgil Van Dijk
Arguably one of the signings of the season in the Premier League last year, Van Dijk has become a mainstay in the Saints defence over the last 10 months and has even chipped in with a few goals.
The Dutchman made such an impact at St. Mary’s last season that he cleaned up at the end of season awards, winning the Player’s Player and Fan’s Player of the year awards.
Furthermore the former Celtic defender has European experience having played in the Champions League with the Scottish side, an attribute that is crucial to Saints going forward.
CB: Jose Fonte
One of the few remaining from the dark days, Fonte took a step down from Crystal Palace to join Saints in League One and has not looked back since.
Now the captain at St. Mary’s Fonte’s performances since arriving in the Premier League have been crucial to the club’s progression and have earned him a place alongside Cedric in the Portuguese national side.
LB: Ryan Bertrand
Another of the England squad who will return from France without too much of a stain on his reputation, Bertrand has been the unsung hero of an impressive Saints side since he joined from Chelsea.
Solid in terms of defending but more than happy to move forward, Bertrand possess great ability to link up with a winger ahead of him and whip a dangerous ball into the box.
CM: James Ward-Prowse
Ward-Prowse is a popular player who really has something to prove going into the coming season, this may well be the 21-year-old’s year to live up to his potential.
The England U21 Captain enjoyed success this summer leading his side to success at the Toulon Tournament and will look to carry that for into the new season, finally cementing his place in the Saints side.
CM: Oriol Romeu
An old-fashioned midfield hard-man, Romeu now has the chance to become a key figure in the Saints line up in the wake of the departure of Victor Wanyama.
Romeu excelled in the latter stages of last season and finished the season with 35 appearances for Ronald Koeman’s side, even chipping in with two goals over the season.
LW: Shane Long
The man with the most impressive heat maps in Premier League history had a sensational campaign last season, reaching double figures in league goals for the first time in his career, and became a crucial component of a potent attacking form.
The 29-year-old will return back to pre-season training of the back of a superb summer with Ireland in France and will look to become a linchpin in the Saints side over the coming season.
RW: Nathan Redmond
Redmond marks Saints first move in the summer transfer window, having signed for £11m from Norwich earlier this week.
James Ward-Prowse has already voiced his excitement, when speaking to the club website, over the addition of Redmond to the squad, stating that his experience in the Europa League will bring a lot to the side.
AM: Dusan Tadic
Tadic could well be in for a bit of a renaissance at St. Mary’s. The Serbian enjoyed a turbulent relationship with Ronald Koeman over the last couple of seasons which saw him move in and out of the side on a regular basis.
Whomever replaces the Dutchman as Saints boss will do well to have a healthy relationship with Tadic as he is a player, with real drive and passion, who can turn a game on it’s head on his own.
ST: Saido Berahino
The West Brom want-away has been linked with a £16m move to the South Coast as Saints look to bolster their front line options in order to compete on both European and domestic fronts.
Should the new manager manage to reign in the youngsters attitude, Berahino could become a real threat and may well become a top Premier League striker.
