This summer it's almost become a case of how many Southampton players you can fit in your shopping basket.
Every week brings you a new departure with five big names gone to pastures new already, namely Adam Lallana, Luke Shaw, Calum Chambers, Dejan Lovren and Rickie Lambert.
Morgan Schneiderlin and Jay Rodriguez could also find themselves at Tottenham before the end of a transfer window that has been chastening for a club that had been on the up.
Highly-rated manager Mauricio Pochettino is already at White Hart Lane, leaving his replacement Ronald Koeman in a difficult position as he tries to manage a squad steadily shorn of its best players.
Admittedly they have got top dollar for these players. But what is the plan at Southampton?
We were joined by Rory Smith of The Times and he does not believe it is simply a case of big clubs coming in to take a smaller club's best players.
"The problem with Southampton isn't the individual deals. It's the sheer weight of numbers of players who want to go," said Smith, who also added that the likes of Jose Fonte and Jack Cork are also said to be considering their futures at St Mary's.
Ready for #Training! pic.twitter.com/o4N7ACbOFs
— Ronald Koeman (@Koeman1963) July 28, 2014
"It looks like they're locked into a spiral where the more players they let go, the more will want to leave. That's a real problem."
It is also the first transfer window for chairman Ralph Kreuger, a former ice hockey coach and player who replaced Nicola Cortese.
Smith has interviewed the Canadian and regards him as "impressive".
"With Kreuger, the issue might be timing," said Smith, who believes that any chairman would have found it difficult to stop the players leaving for clubs like Man United, Arsenal and Liverpool.
There is also the spectre of the owner, Katharine Liebherr, who may be interested in selling the club.
"I don't think they have opted out, I don't think they're asset stripping. I think they wanted some of the debts covered," said Smith, who expects some of the revenue from sales will be ploughed back into recruitment.
But it all depends on the prices in the market which could be jacked up given that clubs know that the Saints have money to spend.
And what new manager and ex-Dutch international Koeman makes of the whole situation is fascinating and Smith gave his take on the ex-Feyenoord boss' views.
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