They are a club who acknowledge that if they are to balance the books for owner Katharina Liebherr, whose late father Markus saved them, they cannot keep their best players out of the clutches of wealthier clubs and nor would they wish to deny them that chance. But the next best thing – developing, thriving, improving – they do that very well.
After a run of four games without a win at the start of the Premier League season, Saints are flying again, up to eighth in the league, 11 points from the last 15 on offer including a 1-1 draw away at Manchester City last weekend. They are in the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup, beating Sunderland with four academy and two development squad graduates featuring and they are coping with the demands of the Europa League.
There is a figure doing the rounds in football that says Southampton’s pursuit of value in terms of astute recruitment of undervalued players has allowed them to increase the value of their squad by around £150 million in the past two years. That is some margin on any portfolio of investment and it goes to show that a good club can add value everywhere – not just by signing young players.
Claude Puel says Southampton’s match against Chelsea on Sunday will be a good test of how strong they are.
After opening the season with four winless matches, Southampton have won three times in a five-match unbeaten run in the Premier League. They face a Chelsea team also in form having won their past three Premier League matches, including a 4-0 victory over Manchester United last weekend.
“They have a fantastic level at the moment when we look at the last games, but it is interesting for my team to play against this great team and to see what we can do,” Puel told southamptonfc.com.
Chelsea’s run has lifted them into the top five and Antonio Conte is keen to keep up the form of late in what he views as a “tough game”.
“This league is very difficult because in every game anything can happen,” he added. “For this reason it’s important to get consistency in results and performances,” Conte told chelseafc.com.
Nathan Redmond is in line for a call-up to England’s senior squad.
Southampton’s pacy winger has been pushing for promotion from the Under-21s where he is a consistent performer for Gareth Southgate.
The 22-year-old has scored three goals in nine games this season following his £10million switch from Norwich and next month’s double-header against Scotland and Spain affords the Three Lions’ interim boss the perfect opportunity to further his experience.
Speedster Redmond will follow fellow Under-21 graduates Michael Keane and Jordan Pickford – both Burnley’s centre-half and Sunderland’s keeper were called up as late inclusions.
Middlesbrough’s highly-rated centre-half Ben Gibson is another Southgate is keeping a close eye on.
Romeu has emerged as one of Southampton’s key men this season, with the former Barcelona man excelling at the base of Puel’s midfield.
Puel was himself a tough-tackling defensive midfielder during a 19-year career with Monaco but he says the Spaniard is superior on the ball.
“He’s more technical,” Puel said ahead of today’s game against Chelsea, another of Romeu’s former clubs.
“I played in front of the defence and I had a good recovery of the ball but now it’s important to have a player in this position who is very technical.
TRANSFER policies can divide the opinion of fans - should you buy youngsters or proven performers? So who recruits the youngest and who brings in the oldest players?
Looking at every squad member in each Premier League squad, CIES Football Observatory have worked out the average age of a player when he arrived at the club.
The results make for fascinating reading with giants like Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United all featuring towards the younger end of the scale.
CLICK THROUGH THE GALLERY TO SEE EACH CLUB’S AVERAGE AGE OF RECRUITMENT.