Last season’s Southampton were the previous season’s Swansea City. The teams won the hearts and minds of so many soccer fans, managers and critics. Except in the case of Swansea City, the team didn’t have its spine ripped out of it.
In Southampton’s case, they’ve now lost three of their marquee players — Adam Lallana and Rickie Lambert to Liverpool, and Luke Shaw to Manchester United. And this is despite a statement from the club in early June that “We are staying true to our plan and vision and, as a result, we have no need to accept any offers.”
Lallana, 26, joins Liverpool on a five-year deal believed to be worth £25million. Bournemouth will receive approximately £6.25million as part of a sell-on clause the club agreed with Southampton when the player joined the Saints.
Lallana spent 14 years with Southampton, helping the club rise from League One to the Premier League.
Under new manager Ronald Koeman, Southampton have gone from talented up-and-comers to relegation candidates in just a few short weeks. Of course, there’s still plenty of time for Southampton to turn things around in the transfer window, but losing three of its star players as well as its manager is a risky move no matter what talent they bring in during the summer transfer window.
Southampton have netted approximately £60million in the summer transfer window through the sales of Lallana, Shaw and Lambert. Now it’s time for the Saints to restore the faith among fans by splashing some of that cash on proven players who will be able to step into their former heroes’ shoes.
