Southampton 2016-17 season review: Results, roster changes, and summer transfer targets

On first glance, it hasn’t been a bad season for Southampton. Eighth place in the Premier League and a trip to Wembley for the EFL Cup final — where they were unfortunate to be beaten by Manchester United — are two fine achievements, and certainly not dramatically beneath what a club of their size can realistically expect. It can’t have been easy for manager Claude Puel to fill the boots of Ronald Koeman, though the Frenchman ostensibly did a perfectly respectable job.

However, close inspection will reveal ongoing discontent among Saints supporters. Aside from the three relegated clubs, only Watford and Burnley scored fewer goals in the Premier League this season; and Saints supporters witnessed only two home wins in the league after December. Put it like that, and the rumours suggesting Puel’s head is on the chopping block begin to make more sense. A decision is expected in the next few days.

We should be wary of assuming Puel had an easy job at Southampton. They may well appear an established Premier League club, but each summer at St. Mary’s tends to come with the departure of at least one or two senior squad members. Last summer it was actually three: Sadio Mané, Gradiano Pellè, and Victor Wanyama — key first-team players — all departed; veteran defender José Fonte followed suit in January. Add to that the fact that Koeman himself also left, and the job looks a rather unenviable one.

So for the Saints to finish in the top half of the table is no mean feat, especially considering Puel’s often had to rely on fielding youngsters. It’s easy to understand why supporters would be discontent at his negative tactics, but they should be careful what they wish for — the bitter experience of other Premier League clubs can prove the old adage that the grass really isn’t always greener on the other side.

To put it simply, Southampton just haven’t scored enough goals. Remarkably, of the nine Premier League home games Southampton have played in 2017, they’ve failed to score in six of them — including each of the last five. The murmurs of discontent are more understandable when you consider the expense paid by the match-going fan.

Of course, Puel would argue — with considerable merit — that his tactics steered his club comfortably through what could have been a turbulent period, that the ends justify the means, and give the Saints a strong base on which to build next season. But to swashbuckle is the English way, and even at a club like Southampton — often seen as a model of progressive thinking — results cannot come at the cost of entertainment. It’ll be very interesting to see whether the board agree, or whether they consider Puel too safe a pair of hands to sack.

Southampton head into the summer in quite a relaxing situation. Their squad is almost certainly too good to go down next season, but their star players not quite good enough to be plundered by Liverpool bigger clubs. Virgil van Dijk and Ryan Bertrand are sure to attract some attention, but the Saints may be able to put up a more stubborn fight to keep them than they have some of their former talents. Add to that the attacking firepower demonstrated by Manolo Gabbiadini after his arrival from Napoli in January, and it seems clear that Southampton still have hope for improvement.

It’s unlikely that we’ll see them challenging for the Champions League any time soon; if this season has demonstrated anything, it’s that the period of inexorable improvement at St. Mary’s is certainly over. But they’re about as solid a mid-table club as it’s possible to be, and one with the talent to seriously challenge for the domestic cups. Can supporters really ask for much more than that?

Southampton have no obvious areas of weakness, meaning we can expect them to follow the patient transfer strategy that has served them so well over the last few seasons. They scout well, buy low and sell high, and it’s little wonder that they’re once again being linked with players from far afield. Galatasaray’s Portuguese attacker Bruma is one such name, and at only 22, the youth international looks like a very Southampton kind of player. He could also offer the kind of penetrative wing-play the Saints’ record signing Sofiane Boufal failed to provide in an underwhelming first season in the Premier League.

Bruma’s young compatriot Rúben Semedo, currently of Sporting Lisbon, has long been linked with a move to St. Mary’s, and too ticks many of Southampton’s boxes. Supporters may worry that his arrival could pave the way for the departure of van Dijk — both play in central defence — but it’s certainly better for the Saints to be well-prepared in the event a big club is willing to drop an extortionate fee on the Dutchman this summer.

However, given their lack of goalscoring prowess, current rumours suggest attacking players are top of Southampton’s wish list. Chris Wood enjoyed a prolific season with Leeds United in the Championship and has attracted interest from the Premier League, while Nigerian teenager Henry Onyekuru has shot to prominence after an impressive season at Belgium’s Eupen. Both should be relatively affordable and eminently gettable, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see either donning the red and white stripes next season.

Any other transfers are likely to be based on who exits and how much Southampton gets for them, which is a bit of a mystery at the moment. Van Dijk seems most likely to leave, and he’ll collect a massive fee if he does. You might see Southampton get a big more ambitious with their signings if he collects their biggest ever sale price.