So, the new Premier League season is almost upon us and for the Southampton fans in the Football Transfer Tavern, a new manager and a new-looking squad mean it could be an exciting season ahead.

Saints fans have Claude Puel now at the St Mary’s reigns and in him they have an experienced French manager who takes over from Ronald Koeman, who did a good job on the South Coast during his tenure at the club.

With their final pre-season friendly win in the bag, it’s time for Puel to fully focus on the start of the new Premier League campaign, which begins at home to Watford.

South Coast side should go into the game high on confidence after a 1-0 win against Athletic Bilbao last time out, where some players really staked their claim for a starting place.

So with that in mind, here’s a starting XI that our punters reckon will easily overcome Watford in their Premier League opener…

GK: Fraser Forster

Despite the addition of former Crystal Palace man Alex McCarthy this summer, it’s clear that England international Fraser Forster is the best man the Saints have between the sticks.

He kept a clean sheet against Bilbao and deserves to stay in net for the opener.

RB: Cedric Soares

The Euro 2016 champion stared the game against Bilbao and as per his summer outings, looked solid in defence.

But the Portuguese international also offers an extremely handy outlet going forward, a role in which he can offer great support to newcomer Nathan Redmond.

CB: Jose Fonte

Another Euro 2016 winner for Portugal, Jose Fonte makes this team with relative ease, providing Saints hold onto him, that is.

He’s Mr reliable and also the Saints captain, so surely he should make this squad, right?

CB: Virgil Van Dijk

Another pretty easy pick for this team, Virgil Van Dijk is easily one of Southampton’s biggest players, and expect him to feature consistently in the season ahead.

He signed a new long-term deal this summer and he’s well liked by Saints supporters. A defensive giant capable of helping the team achieve again this year.

LB: Matt Targett

With first-choice left-back Ryan Bertrand set to miss out through injury, Matt Targett will have to make the step-up for this one.

The youngster is more than capable of filling in for his senior colleague though- he made 19 appearances for the first-team last season.

CDM: Pierre-Emile Højbjerg

A £12.8m summer signing from Bayern Munich, much is expected of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in the season to come.

He played the first half against Bilbao last week and his composure and ability to pass the ball will be important for the Saints during the upcoming season.

CDM: Oriol Romeu

A tough choice between Romeu and Jordy Clasie, but the Spaniard gets the nod due to the pure power he brings to Puel’s side.

We’ve seen him dominate in the midfield with Chelsea, Valencia and Stuttgart during his career and can expect him to play a big part for the Saints this year- after all, they’ve got a Europa League journey to consider too.

RW: Nathan Redmond

The former Birmingham City youngster has performed well in pre-season for the Saints, having signed for the club from Norwich City this summer.

Redmond will bring pace, direction and trickery to the Saints wing, and many expect him to go onto senior international level very soon.

CAM: Steven Davis

A seriously underrated player for the Saints, Steve Davis is quite happy to go about his business working hard and bringing the team forward.

The Northern Ireland international shone at the Euros has been on the books at Southampton for four years now, and he shows no signs of slowing down.

LW: Dusan Tadic

You get the impression there is more to come from Dusan Tadic this season, despite some strong showings last time out.

There was talk of a transfer away from the club this summer but now he looks set to stay, he can really perform on the left-hand flank.

ST: Shane Long

He seems to have been around for years but Shane Long keeps doing the business at the top level.

He scored the winner against Bilbao in the week and often carried the club in terms of goals when Charlie Austin and Jay Rodriguez were injured last season.

Expect him to be a big player for the Saints this season, both in Europe and in the league.

Saints fans, we want to hear from you! What do you make of this XI? How do you think you’ll line up against Watford? Let us know below…