Southampton welcome Premier League title contenders Liverpool to the St Mary’s Stadium on Friday night time because the season attracts to an in depth.
The sport, which is stay on talkSPORT, will certainly carry a way of nostalgia for sure members of Jurgen Klopp’s aspect as effectively.
Southampton have constantly produced academy graduates who’ve dazzled on the south coast.
Nonetheless, latest years have seen the Saints ravaged by greater Premier League sides who’ve poached their largest skills.
Take, for example, the 2014/15 aspect beneath Ronald Koeman.
Plagued by unimaginable stars, Southampton completed the season in seventh place, simply two factors behind Liverpool.
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- Southampton vs Liverpool (Friday, 8pm) – talkSPORT
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- Huddersfield vs Leicester (Saturday, 3pm) – talkSPORT 2
- Manchester Metropolis vs Brighton (Saturday, 5:30pm) – talkSPORT
- Coventry vs Bristol Rovers (Sunday, 3pm) – talkSPORT 2
- Watford vs Wolves (Sunday, 4pm) – talkSPORT
Nonetheless, the membership at the moment are 16th within the Premier League and are embroiled in a relegation battle.
The sluggish and regular decline is little doubt linked to their conveyor belt of expertise being ruthlessly exploited at seemingly each flip.
However simply how may they’ve been had they saved their finest stars?
Under, talkSPORT.com appears to be like at how Southampton could possibly be lining up had they not been so ruthlessly raided, particularly by Tottenham and Liverpool.
GOALKEEPER – Paulo Gazzaniga
The younger Argentina worldwide is at present enjoying second fiddle to Hugo Lloris in north London, though that would all change following the World Cup winner’s latest woes.
Though he began his youth profession with Valencia, Gazzaniga was launched in 2011 and joined Gillingham on a two-year deal on the advice of European scout.
Only one yr later, the shot-stopper was on his strategy to St Mary’s for his or her return to the Premier League and spent 5 years behind no.1 Fraser Forster.
The 6’5 keeper remains to be solely 27 and will effectively grow to be first selection if Lloris continues his erratic type.
SOLD TO: Tottenham Hotspur (£900ok, August 2017)
RIGHT BACK – Nathaniel Clyne
Like Gazzaniga, Clyne didn’t come by the Southampton academy, however he definitely made his identify whereas with the Saints.
Born and raised in south London, the right-back grew to become a daily beneath Neil Warnock at Crystal Palace and made greater than 100 appearances for the Eagles.
Nigel Adkins introduced him to the Premier League in 2012 and Clyne went from energy to energy, incomes an England cap in 2014 as a reward for his wonderful shows.
A transfer to Liverpool in 2015 quickly adopted and Clyne initially excelled beneath Jurgen Klopp earlier than an damage final season noticed him lose his place to Trent Alexander-Arnold.
SOLD TO: Liverpool (£12.5million, July 2015)
CENTRE BACK: Toby Aldeweireld
Technically talking, Alderweireld was solely ever on mortgage at St Mary’s. Nonetheless, his distinctive performances noticed Tottenham swoop in forward of the Saints when Atletico Madrid cancelled the £6.8million buy-out clause.
His time in Spain may be summed up by his Champions League last efficiency in 2014. With Atletico main metropolis rivals Actual 1-Zero with seven minutes to go, the defender was despatched on by Diego Simeone. They misplaced 4-1 and he was allowed to go away on mortgage in the summertime.
Whereas it will come as a shock to some followers, it proved to be the Premier League’s achieve because the Belgium worldwide dominated Premier League strikers by sustaining an extremely excessive sort out success price.
Now thought-about top-of-the-line defenders within the division, the 30-year-old moved to Spurs and immediately was chosen for the PFA Workforce of the 12 months.
SOLD TO: Tottenham Hotspur (£11.5million, July 2015)
CENTRE BACK: Virgil van Dijk
The world’s most costly defender and captain of the Netherlands, Van Dijk’s rise has been nothing in need of spectacular.
A 2015 summer season signing from Celtic, van Dijk wasted no time in convincing Saints supporters they’d discovered a worthy substitute for the just lately departed Alderweireld.
Blessed with great bodily and technical attributes, the centre-half bludgeoned opposition strikers after which had the composure to spray 70-yard passes out with both foot.
Naturally, the largest golf equipment on the earth got here calling, and it was Liverpool who splashed the money to carry the colossus to Anfield. Since then, he has remodeled the Reds from potential Champions League qualifiers to real title challengers.
SOLD TO: Liverpool (£75million, January 2018)
LEFT BACK: Luke Shaw
As soon as essentially the most coveted teenager on the earth, Shaw moved to Manchester United regardless of curiosity from Chelsea to grow to be the costliest teenager in world soccer.
A Blues fan when rising up, Shaw educated with the membership’s improvement programme on the age of eight.
Nonetheless, he was not granted an academy place and joined the Saints. By the age of 15, he was enjoying for the Below-18 aspect earlier than making his senior debut on the age of 16 in 2012.
Below the steerage of Adkins after which Mauricio Pochettino, the left-back earned a spot within the 2013/14 PFA Workforce of the 12 months and his profitable transfer quickly adopted.
SOLD TO: Manchester United (£33.75million, June 2014)
DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDER: Victor Wanyama
After a profitable youth profession in his native Kenya, Wanyama earned a transfer to Belgium earlier than Celtic snapped him up in 2011.
He grew to become the primary Kenyan to ever rating within the Champions League when he netted in opposition to Barcelona in 2012, a memorable sport because the Bhoys managed to win 2-1 regardless of having 16 per cent possession.
A transfer to the Premier League adopted in 2013 and the 27-year-old’s sheer measurement and bodily prowess made him a close to indomitable determine on the coronary heart of the Saints’ midfield.
Though accidents restricted his time on the pitch in his first season, his performances throughout the subsequent two beneath Ronald Koeman had been so well-received it grew to become nigh-on inconceivable for the membership to maintain him. Former boss Pochettino introduced him to north London, the place accidents have once more restricted his sport time.
SOLD TO: Tottenham Hotspur (£13million, June 2016)
CENTRE MIDFIELD: Adam Lallana
A legend at St Mary’s, Lallana performed by League One and the Championship earlier than turning into captain within the Premier League.
The midfielder initially realized his commerce at south coast rivals Bournemouth earlier than becoming a member of the Southampton Academy aged 12 at a price of £18,000 in compensation.
His performances within the third after which second tier of English soccer caught the attention as he danced his method by challenges and continued to attain and help for enjoyable because the Saints claimed the Championship title in 2012.
His two seasons within the Premier League whereas a Southampton participant had been equally fruitful, becoming a member of Shaw within the PFA Workforce of the 12 months in 2013/14 earlier than Liverpool acted rapidly to beat Manchester United to his signature.
SOLD TO: Liverpool (£25million, June 2014)
CENTRE MIDFIELD: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
A Southampton youth graduate from the age of seven, Oxlade-Chamberlain excited followers together with his direct working and tempo on the wings at St Mary’s.
At simply 16, he made his senior debut in opposition to Huddersfield City. Within the 2010/11 season, he marked his first begin together with his first senior aim and the hype started to collect tempo.
His father, former England worldwide Mark, informed reporters he was eager for his son to affix Arsenal after dominating League One defenders and the winger made the change to the Emirates in 2011 for a reported £15million.
His debut got here within the notorious 8-2 defeat at Outdated Trafford and, since then, his quick profession has been affected by highs and lows. Accidents and lack of type noticed him slip out and in of the group earlier than making the transfer to Liverpool in the summertime of 2017 for £35million.
SOLD TO: Arsenal (£15million, August 2011)
LEFT WING: Theo Walcott
Shortly after leaving faculty, Walcott joined up with Southampton’s first group throughout pre-season coaching earlier than the beginning of the 2005/06 season and by no means appeared again.
Blessed with terrifying tempo, the winger grew to become the Saints’ youngest ever participant on the age of 16 years and 143 days and remained within the first group after scoring in opposition to Millwall and Stoke Metropolis.
Arsenal confirmed they’d agreed a take care of {the teenager} within the January of 2006, with the payment doubtlessly rising from £5million to £12million primarily based on incentives and add-ons. In the summertime, he was shock inclusion for England’s 2006 World Cup squad.
Though his early promise has since pale, the 30-year-old remains to be a Premier League participant with Everton.
SOLD TO: Arsenal (£12million, January 2006)
RIGHT-WING: Gareth Bale
At 16, Bale made his Southampton bow within the Championship and earned a status as a set-piece specialist for his unimaginable accuracy from dead-ball conditions.
Credited as one of the vital inventive gamers in his first season, the Wales worldwide quickly garnered consideration from Premier League golf equipment.
Bale moved to Tottenham in 2007, however the transfer initially didn’t work out. The teenager didn’t win a sport he began till January 2010 when he changed Benoit Assou-Ekoto.
A change in place gave Bale a brand new lease of life and after plundering 31 league targets within the 2012/13 season, he moved to Actual Madrid for a world report payment and has continued to dazzle supporters throughout the globe together with his thrilling model of play.
SOLD TO: Tottenham Hotspur (£10million, Could 2007)
STRIKER: Sadio Mane
Beginning his profession on the Académie Génération Foot in his native Senegal, Mane moved rapidly from Metz to Crimson Bull Salzburg after his glittering performances in Europe.
His time in Austria was marred by a bitter level on the finish when he refused to return on throughout a sport as he tried to drive a switch away.
Earlier than the summer season window in 2014 shut, Koeman splashed the money to carry the ahead to St Mary’s and was rewarded with tempo, trickery and targets. He scored the quickest ever Premier League hat-trick at 2 minutes 56 seconds in a 6–1 win over Aston Villa in Could 2016.
The 26-year-old continued to attain all through the 2015/16 season, netting in wins in opposition to Chelsea, Manchester Metropolis and Liverpool and it was the Reds who spent massive to lure him away from the south coast.
SOLD TO: Liverpool (£34million, June 2016)
TOTAL SQUAD COST: £242.65 Million
See how Southampton get on in opposition to title chasing Liverpool on Friday, stay on talkSPORT at 20:00 on 5 April.
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