Can Ralph Hasenhuttl improve on a 15th place finish last season and move the Saint's into the top half?
What happened last year?
Southampton marked their 10th consecutive season in the Premier League by finishing 15th during the 2021/22 season, a rather poor season by their standards. Despite the Saints finishing only five points above relegated Burnley, there was reason for optimism for the fans going forward.
A promising FA Cup run, which was ended by to be Premier League champions Manchester City in the quarter-finals, as well as big wins against Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and West Ham United showed signs of quality amongst the team.
However, these performances were few and far between, with big defeats against Aston Villa, Chelsea, Liverpool, Brentford, and Leicester City, including a run of only five points from a possible 36 towards the latter stage of the season.
Despite their faltering finish to the campaign, their mid-season form helped carry the Saints over the line and secure their place in the top tier of English football for the upcoming season.
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Key signings?
Gavin Bazunu
With Southampton keen to improve following a disappointing season, they have acquired the Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu, local rivals Portsmouth’s Player of the Season in 2021/22, for just over £12 million. Bazunu has been capped 10 times by his country and joins from Manchester City after loans at Rochdale and Portsmouth.
Sékou Mara
With Southampton losing the services of Armando Broja as he returns to his parent club Chelsea, Ralph Hasenhuttl is keen to bolster his attacking options. Mara joins the Saints on a four-year deal from Bordeaux for an expected £11 million. The 19-year-old French forward featured 27 times for Bordeaux in all competitions last season, scoring six goals in the process, and has been capped for France at U20 level.
Roméo Lavia
Lavia joins Southampton from the Manchester City youth ranks in a deal worth £11.07 million including add-ons. The 18-year-old defensive midfielder made his debut for the Citizens at 17 years old against Wycombe Wanderers in the 2021/22 EFL Cup, and is comfortable when recovering the ball, as well as showing intelligence, tenacity and pace, which could bring some energy and balance to their midfield next season.
Armel Bella-Kotchap
Bella-Kotchap joins Southampton from Vfl Bochum who finished 13th in the Bundesliga last season in a deal worth £9 million. The German centre back played 22 times for Bochum last season following promotion from 2. Bundesliga the previous campaign. The 20-year-old is one of four new signings under the age of 21, highlighting Hasenhuttl’s youthful approach when it comes to incoming players.
Joe Aribo
The 25-year-old Nigerian international moves to St Mary’s from Ibrox in a deal worth £6 million which could rise to £10 million with add-ons. Aribo was part of a Rangers team who reached the Europa League final, in which Aribo opened the scoring in the 1-1 eventual penalty defeat against Eintracht Frankfurt, as well as the Rangers team who won the Scottish Cup last season and Scottish Premiership in 2020/21. He played 57 times for Rangers in all competitions in 2021/22, scoring nine goals. He looks to be an experienced yet versatile player who can bring some energy to the Southampton midfield.
And who’s out?
Fraser Forster
The 34-year-old goalkeeper makes way for Gavin Bazunu as he moved on a free transfer to Tottenham Hotspur. He first joined Southampton from Celtic in 2014 for a fee worth £11.25 million and went on to make 162 appearances in all competitions for the Saints. He later returned to the Scottish side on loan during the 2019/20 season. Forster made 19 Premier League appearances last season as he shared the number one spot with Alex McCarthy and is set to be a back-up option at Spurs behind Hugo Lloris.
Shane Long
The 35-year-old Irishman also departs Southampton as he returns to Reading having made 245 appearances in all competitions and 198 of those in the Premier League. During his time at St Mary’s, he scored the fastest-ever goal in Premier League history, taking just 7.69 seconds to open the scoring against Watford in April 2019. He also scored 37 goals for the club, but he was in and out of the team during 2021/22, only making 13 appearances in the Premier League.
Who is their star man?
James Ward-Prowse
The Saint's captain looks to be their star man once again this upcoming campaign. After a season in which he recorded 10 goals and five assists in the Premier League, Ward-Prowse will be integral to any success that Southampton have in the upcoming 2022/23 season. His consistency and reliability from set pieces is an asset that any Premier League team would be lucky to have, and will definitely be the star man at St Mary's. He is a best price 50/1 to notch the most assists in the league this season.
Ward-Prowse knocked up his 300th Premier League appearance for Southampton this season, as well as becoming the joint second highest free kick scorer of all time, only six behind legendary Manchester United and England midfielder David Beckham. He also was called up by Gareth Southgate to feature in his England squad for World Cup 2022 qualification games against Andorra and Hungary.
Going back to his influence on the team, the midfield pairing of Ward-Prowse and Spanish defensive midfielder Oriol Romeu was a key area of success of the Saint's last season. With Hasenhuttl adding Aribo to their midfield options, we may see Southampton being able to create more memorable moments for their fans, like the away win against Tottenham in the league and their FA Cup run to the quarter-finals, in the upcoming 2022/23 season.
What can we expect from them in 2022/23?
Having made many youthful signings and more significant incomings than outgoings, we should expect some improvement from a fresh Southampton squad. Hasenhuttl will be hoping for more consistency from a Saint’s side who struggled for larger parts of the season. The additions of Bazunu, Bella-Kotchap and Lavia will hopefully shore the defensive unit as Mare will be able to build upon their attacking output next time round.
Experienced players such as Ward-Prowse and Oriol Romeu will look to dominate midfields across the league, as they hopefully aim to steer away from the relegation zone in the upcoming season. With the successes of full backs Tino Livramento, prior to his long-term injury, and Kyle Walker-Peters, as well as the consistency of Ward-Prowse from set-pieces, Southampton will be a team very capable of taking points away from the big sides in the Premier League.
Where do the odds project them to finish?
The Premier League winner market projects Southampton to finish in 14th position, one place up from the previous two seasons, which is a sign of improvement for the Saints.
Any recommended bets?
Southampton are best priced odds at 11/2 to finish in the top half of the Premier League at the time of writing. Their youthful team which was strengthened from last season could bring some value in this market. However, Ralph Hasenhuttl is second favourite at best priced odds of 11/2 to be the next manager to leave his post. Some bookmakers are suggesting the gamble of young and upcoming players could backfire and cost Hasenhuttl his job.
