Southampton deserve a lot of credited for developing some of the best British talents of this generation. The Southampton academy keeps producing promising young players and even when some of these players move to other clubs, Saints have managed to maintain their performance level.
In fact, in the last two seasons, Southampton have sold most of their crucial first team members and still find themselves in the top half of the table.
In addition to possessing a brilliant youth academy, the club also has a great scouting network that has enabled them to pick up some very good players like Sadio Mane, Morgan Schneiderlin and Fraser Forster for relatively cheap figures.
Imagine a scenario in which Southampton were able to keep their best players. The very thought of such a team is exciting and with the quality of players they sold, they could easily be challenging for a top 4 spot at least. So here is a look at a Southampton starting XI comprising only of players they sold.
Formation: 4-2-3-1
#1 Goalkeeper
Southampton did not sell Artur Boruc because of his demand, they sold him because they got an upgrade over him in Fraser Forster. However, the former Fiorentina goalkeeper is still a quality shot stopper and that’s why he still plays in the Premier League with Bournemouth.
Boruc joined the Saints in 2012 when they returned to the Premier League and he was an instrumental member of the side which kept their Premier League status for another season. The Pole was loaned to Bournemouth for the 2014/15 season as they pushed for promotion.
In 2015, he joined the Cherries on a permanent deal after his contract with Southampton expired.
The veteran keeper is Bournemouth’s first choice keeper and has so far managed to keep seven clean sheets in 29 league games. This is a decent record considering he has a newly promoted side’s defence in front of him.
#2 Defence
The most recent addition to Liverpool from Southampton is Nathaniel Clyne. Clyne was a former Crystal Palace player whom the Saints signed in 2012 after they gained promotion.
The right-back gained attention due to his consistency and thrived under the managerial tenure of Pochettino and Koeman.
During his final season with the Southampton, he was one of the best fullbacks in the league. His performance was rewarded with an England call-up and later it earned him a move to Liverpool. He is now one of the first names on the team sheet for Jurgen Klopp and is a regular for his national team as well.
Young Calum Chambers is a product of the Saints academy and made his first-team debut, aged 17, in a league cup encounter. On the opening day of the 2013-14 season, he made his league debut as a starter and finished the game to help Saints win 1-0.
Chambers went on to make several appearances for Saints over the course of the 2013-14 season and was sometimes picked ahead of Clyne in the starting line-up. The promise he showed attracted interest from Arsenal and he signed for the Gunners in 2014.
The Englishman’s career hasn’t taken off since he moved to Arsenal as he has struggled to establish himself as a right-back or as a centre-back. However, considering his age and early promise, Chambers can still work his way into Arsenal’s first team.
When Liverpool signed Dejan Lovren for £20m, he became the club’s most expensive defender. There were huge expectations when Lovren arrived and the added pressure of replacing Daniel Agger didn’t help him either.
At Liverpool, Lovren looked like a shadow of his former self from the Southampton days. With the Saints, the Croatian formed an impressive partnership with Jose Fonte and was praised for his front foot defending.
The arrival of Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool seems to have rejuvenated Lovren. He was initially used as a squad player, but he has taken his opportunities well and is now the first choice centre back for the team.
He was also the scorer of Liverpool’s winning goal against Borussia Dortmund in the famous 4-3 win at Anfield.
Arguably the most promising youngster to come from the Saints academy in recent years is Luke Shaw. The Englishman made his first start for Southampton in 2012 and in the same year, he became the youngest Saints player to start a Premier League game.
Aged just 16, Shaw became a regular for Southampton at the back during the club’s first season back in the Premier League. Eventually, in February 2014, Shaw made his England debut when he was just 18 years old.
His performance earned him a move to Manchester United and he quickly became the club’s first choice left-back. However, injuries have limited his progress, but with age on his side, he could go on to become a terrific full-back.
Note: This list doesn’t include Toby Alderweireld who is arguably the best defender in the Premier League this season. He was only on loan at Southampton and Saints failed to make his transfer permanent.
#3 Midfield
Players like Morgan Schneiderlin are examples of Southampton’s efficient scouting network outside England. Saints signed him for a relatively cheap amount in 2008 and during his seven-year stay with the club, he played a crucial role in helping them gain promotion from League One to the Championship, then to the Premier League and eventually in maintaining the Premier League status.
Schneiderlin’s ability to break-up play and dictate the game was widely acknowledged by pundits and fans alike. His perseverance and hard work reaped its benefits when he was named in the France team that travelled for the World Cup in Brazil. A year later he was signed by Manchester United.
Adam Lallana’s departure was one that angered the Saints fans and understandably so because Lallana was a crucial member of the team from 2008 to 2014.
During Southampton’s impressive 2013/14 season, the Englishman scored 9 goals and provided 6 assists in the league. He was named in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year for his performance and this added to his previous inclusions in the PFA Championship Team of the Year and PFA League One Team of the Year.
Lallana moved to Liverpool in 2014 along with Lovren and Lambert. His first season with the Reds was met with a mixed response, but he has come alive and is now thriving under Jurgen Klopp.
In 2011, Arsenal signed Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain from Southampton and there was very little the fans knew about the new signing. The youngster was mostly used as a winger and impressed the fans very early on in his spell with Arsenal.
However, his best performance in his debut season came against AC Milan in a Champions League game where he was deployed in central midfield.
Chamberlain’s explosive debut season was rewarded with a surprise call-up to the England national team for Euro 2012. His start with Arsenal was quite promising, but that has slowly fizzled out. A release from injuries and some regular playing time should see him shine once again.
#4 Forwards
The most expensive player in the world needs no introduction. Gareth Bale started his career at Southampton as a left-back before moving to Spurs and eventually converting into a winger.
Bale’s switch in position saw a massive improvement in his performances and he was named as the PFA Player of the Year in 2010-11. His final season with Spurs was in 2012/13 and the Welshman scored 26 times during the season.
He was named as the PFA Player of the Year and PFA Young Player of the Year for his impressive season.
His move to Real Madrid was a huge one and he celebrated his first season by scoring the winning goals in the Champions League final and the Copa del Rey final. Today he is easily among the best players in the world.
In 2006, Arsenal signed a prodigy from Southampton by the name of Theo Walcott. He showed a great deal of promise very early on and his pace with the ball was mesmerising.
Walcott’s pace saw him move to the wings from his preferred striker role. After a slow and steady start with Arsenal, he had a terrific season in 2010-11 when he scored 13 goals for Arsenal in all competitions.
In the next two seasons that followed, Walcott scored 9 and 21 goals respectively.
At one point it looked like Walcott was finally ready to take the role of a senior player, but some unfortunate lengthy injuries have stalled his career. Despite this, Walcott remains a regular for both club and country, a decade after leaving Southampton.
The story of Rickie Lambert is a fairy tale. He was released by Liverpool as a teenager and worked in a beetroot factory to make ends meet. He struggled with various lower league teams for several years before signing for Southampton in 2009.
During Lambert’s five years with Southampton, he played for them in the top 3 divisions of English football and scored 117 goals in 235 games. This tally includes 28 goals he scored in 75 Premier League games.
Lambert earned a dream move to Liverpool in 2014, but he was mainly used as a backup. After a year with Liverpool, he signed for West Brom.
Manager: Mauricio Pochettino
Not only did Saints lose some of their best players in 2014, they also lost a promising manager in Pochettino. The Argentine played a big role in keeping Southampton’s Premier League status and also in the development of many young players. His skills are evident from the way Tottenham are playing this season.
Other notable former Southampton players who are currently active and did not make this list include Jason Puncheon, Dani Osvaldo and Jack Cork.
