Premier League 2017-18: Ranking the transfer windows of all 20 teams
By James Dudko
16. Southampton
Notable Ins: Mario Lemina, Wesley Hoedt, Jan Bednarek
Notable Outs: Jordy Clasie, Jay Rodriguez, Cuco Martina, Harrison Reed
Not even keeping Virgil van Dijk in the fold can help place Southampton higher on this list. Van Dijk is still the Saints’ best defender, but he’s also a disgruntled player who wanted out and spent most of the summer in exile.
Southampton recruited two new defenders in Jan Bednarek and Wesley Hoedt. Those moves make their decision not to cash in on Van Dijk, a big-money target of several of the division’s top six, all the more curious.
The Saint don’t just rank in the bottom five because of how the Van Dijk saga eventually played out. They are also likely to rue letting go of some of the talented players who joined new teams this summer.
Among them, forward Jay Rodriguez has already made a positive impact for West Brom. The 28-year-old endured his injury problems at Southampton, but he’s fit again now. He has the pace and movement no other striker on the Saints’ books, not even Manolo Gabbiadini, can match.
Rodriguez isn’t the only useful player Southampton were happy to part with this summer. The club will miss the terrier-like qualities and technical skill Jordy Clasie brought to midfield.
Clasie moving on puts more pressure on record purchase Mario Lemina to quickly make the grade.
Meanwhile, Cuco Martina was a capable and versatile full-back who was surprisingly let go on a free transfer to reunite with former manager Ronald Koeman at Everton.