How true is it that the Saints sell too many top players? Here's a Southampton XI eleven of players that have left since 2014/2015.
Southampton are finding themselves in top form. They have not dropped points since September, and are fifth in the Premier League table.
The question raised is: how do they keep building teams despite selling their best players? Is it the Academy setup? Is it their transfer market savviness?
We take a look at their last five years of business and put together a starting eleven.
Formation - Traditional 4-4-2
Goalkeeper - Paulo Gazzaniga
The Argentine faced stiff competition from Kelvin Davis, Artur Boruc, and Fraser Forster in his time with the Saints. Gazzaniga moved to Spurs in 2018 and saw increased playing time when keeper Hugo Lloris suffered an injury last season.
Right Back - Nathaniel Clyne
Clyne spent most of his post-Southampton days sitting on the bench at Anfield. His five-year spell was followed by stints with Bournemouth on loan and joined Crystal Palace on a free transfer. He is yet to see consistent playing time since his early days with Liverpool.
Centre Back - Virgil Van Dijk
If you were in Southampton's shoes, Liverpool had offered the world-record fee for a defender at the time. It was very hard to turn down. £75 million later, and Van Dijk went on to win a Champions League, a Premier League title and be named PFA Player of the Year amongst other accolades for Liverpool.
Centre Back - Calum Chambers
Chambers is one of the more unknown figures in this starting eleven. Having gotten off to a promising start when first signed by Arsenal, the following year's involved loan moves to Middlesbrough and Fulham. He helped Fulham gain promotion to the Premier League but tore his anterior cruciate ligaments several months afterward.
Left Back - Luke Shaw
The Golden Boy nominee signed for Manchester United in 2014. It almost looked like Shaw's best years was behind him as he suffered a gruesome leg break two years later. Shaw has returned to form recently and is a key piece in United's defensive lineup.
Right Midfield - Adam Lallana
Might be a stretch with Lallana at right-midfield but here we are. Lallana signed for Liverpool in 2014 after being named in the PFA Team of the Year. Lallana was hampered by injuries in his Liverpool run but was part of the Champions League and Premier League-winning sides of the last two years.
Centre Midfield - Pierre-Emile Højbjerg
A rather recent transfer, Højbjerg left Southampton for Spurs this year. The Danish central midfielder expressed a desire to leave the Saints and lost out on his captaincy as a result. He has started all nine of Tottenham's Premier League games this season.
Centre Midfield - Jack Cork
Cork was a decisive part of Southampton's promotion run in 2011-2012. The one-time English international played two seasons at Swansea from 2015-2017, before signing with Burnley where he currently plays.
Left Midfield - Dušan Tadić
The Serbian international was Ronald Koeman's first signing in 2014 and played out a respectable four years at the club. Unfortunately for the Saints, Tadić went on to work wonders at Ajax where they went on a Champions League run in 2019, including a man-of-the-match performance in the quarter-finals against Real Madrid.
Striker - Sadio Mané
£34million might seem a bargain now for the Liverpool star. The folklore suggests Mané impressed Jurgen Klopp so much in his performance against the Reds in 2015 that it was enough to convince them to sign him. 67 goals later, it was probably the right move.
Striker - Charlie Austin
It is slim pickings here to round out the eleven. Austin was a serviceable striker for the Saints but was ultimately sold to West Brom in 2019. Austin helped the Baggies secure promotion last year but has yet to appear for them in the Premier League.
Conclusion
Ultimately, it's not a bad team. It might have peaked two years ago, but it would definitely hold its place in the current Premier League. Whether Southampton should be criticized or lauded for their transfers over the last few years - has led me to go with the latter.
They've managed to rebuild a squad now that's up there with this one, if not more well rounded. I'm not sure there's enough weight to their other transfers bar the big ones of Van Dijk and Mané. Hopefully, they continue their run of form this year and sell on their best player in the near future.
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