Southampton the sleeping giants of England
Another long, hot summer of transfer rumors and potential deals is upon us and Southampton are once again in the middle of it all. The Saints have consistently produced top talent and finished 8th in the table this term. With most big clubs interested in Virgil Van Dijk, the south coast club have again showed their willingness and ability to compete at the highest level.
In the 2016-17 Premier League campaign, Southampton managed to finish 1st in the table. That is a pretty remarkable feat for a club with the limited financial resources they have to work with. Now they didn’t finish 1st overall in the table, but outside of the “Big 6” (or big 7 if you include Everton), they finished on top. The south coast squad owes their Premier League success and results to their incredible, top-notch academy system.
The Saints have produced world-class, first-team talent for what seems like my entire lifetime. In the past 20 seasons the club has produced household names like Alan Shearer, Luke Shaw, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and most notably the most expensive British footballer in history, Gareth Bale.
Southampton have heavily invested in their youth academy, with the opening of the $33 million Markus Liebherr training complex which combines all of the first-team and development team facilities. The club has shown a consistent dedication to preparing youth products for the show, with Premier League giants around the country utilizing youth products as core and first-team options.
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After being promoted back into the first division in 2011/2012 after a short spell in the Championship, the Saints have remained in the Premier League and performed very well. Despite a poor 14th place finish their first season back in 2012, they finished 8th in 2013/14, 7th in 2014/15, 6th in 2015/16, and this season finished 8th.
Before a shaky seven season stretch between 2005 and 2012, the Saints competed in the first division/Premier League from 1978-2005. Their best finish during that stretch was in the 1983-84 season when they secured a 2nd place finish.
After Leicester changed the game with their remarkable Premier League title last season, the possibilities seem endless for smaller clubs not only in England but all top 5 European leagues. The Foxes spent 6 seasons in the Championship before being promoted and finishing their first season 14th in the table. The next year, the recently promoted side dismantled all 6 (or 7) of the English giants to take the title by storm. This set a new precedent that Southampton surely have the potential to follow.
The Saints must be considered one of the most resilient teams in the league. Year in and year out, massive reserves of talent are pilfered from St. Mary’s Stadium by the bigger fish in the Premier League. Nevertheless, Southampton always rise up and find new talent to develop and keep the club in contention with bigger clubs. This season, they made their first major final appearance since the 2003 FA Cup final.
Southampton lost to Manchester United 2-3 in the League Cup final at Wembley on February 26th. The club had to defeat some massive opponents to reach the final, knocking out Crystal Palace, Arsenal and Liverpool from the tournament on their way to Wembley.
The club boasts an intriguing future squad, as English midfielders James Ward-Prowse and captain Stephen Davis will be consistent playmakers for the foreseeable future. Currently, the Saints have one of the best center-backs in the league. Virgil van Dijk is reportedly the hottest commodity on the transfer market this summer.
Just like Bale, Shaw, Walcott, Ox, Lallana and other talented starters who come from Southampton, van Dijk will be sold by the club for a pretty penny. Since defenders are the most sought after targets in the Premier League nowadays, the Dutchman is set to make a John Stones-type move to Liverpool or Man City this offseason. Regardless of losing the star defenseman, Southampton has the stability and structure that a small club requires to remain competitive in such a cut-throat league.
With recent reports saying ex-Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal is possibly returning to England as the Saints’ manager next year, the club is poised to make a run. The seemingly bottomless pit of talent coming up through the ranks and some spending money from the looming van Dijk sale might combine to fuel a Leicester-type campaign this year.
I wouldn’t say the south coast boys are quite ready to win silverware, but a top-6 finish and Europa League berth are absolutely possible. But hey, no one said the Foxes were ready to win silverware last season but look how that turned out!
Next: Hazard breaks ankle in Belgium training
Reports say Liverpool is being investigated by the Premier League for illegally approaching Virgil van Dijk. The Merseyside monsters are still favorites to land the defender.