da gbg bet: There must always be a real sense of trepidation around Southampton whenever a transfer window is upon them.
da luck: Over the years they’ve lost players, mainly to Liverpool, such as Adam Lallana, Nathaniel Clyne, Dejan Lovren and Morgan Schneiderlin as well as others leaving them wondering just how they’re going to replace them.
This summer was no different with Sadio Mane the main departure whilst in the dugout Ronald Koeman headed to Merseyside but this time to Everton, as the Saints were once again thrown into early season turmoil.
It looks as though they are starting to get back on track though as they always do under new boss Claude Puel and a lot of the credit, therefore, has to go to the Frenchman.
Nevertheless, the players also need to be praised for sticking at the task and you have to say they still have one of the most promising squads around right now.
This is backed up by the transfer website transfermarkt.co.uk, which values every player, and according to it, these are the ten most valuable Saints players currently…
10. James Ward-Prowse – £9.35m
The young midfielder has come through the ranks at Southampton and is the latest in a long line of promising stars to have played for the club. Valued at £9.35m he comes in tenth on the list but you’d imagine the Saints would want a fair bit more than that off of a potential buyer.
9. Jordy Clasie – £9.35m
The Dutch midfielder often competes for a place in the side with the Spaniard Oriol Romeu. Both are holding players and both get their fair share of games but it is Clasie who is the one of the two to make this list. Valued at the same price as Ward-Prowse they are different kinds of players but nonetheless both are important to the squad.
8. Virgil Van Dijk – £10.2m
Arguably the Saints’ best defender this season Van Dijk joined after impressing north of the border for Celtic. The Dutchman is a real wall in the centre of defence when he is on form and can also be a big threat from set pieces at the other end. At £10.2m he has to be considered a bit of a bargain.
7. Cedric Soares – £10.2m
Cedric has recently seen his value go up from £9.35m to £10.2m and that could be partially down to his good form this season. He was a big part of why Portugal managed to win EURO 2016 in the Summer with his ability to get up and down from right back and he appears to have carried that on this season.
6. Charlie Austin – £11.05m
The striker is on fire at the moment and if he stays fit you can expect his value to increase further. Goals against West Ham and Sparta Prague have shown his ability to score different kinds of goals and with the current England strikers not really firing, he can count himself unlucky to not be in the squad.
5. Sofiane Boufal – £11.05m
The record signing from Lille in the Summer at £16 million, he has yet to make his competitive debut for the club. This aside his value has actually gone up according to transfermarkt and that could be down to the big expectation he has around him. Whether or not he fulfils it remains to be seen.
4. Jay Rodriguez – £11.05m
He’s been blighted by injury issues throughout his Saints career but you cannot deny that when fit Rodriguez is a class player. He can do things other forwards can’t and Claude Puel seems to be a fan of him so if he can get a run of games under his belt his value could soar.
3. Ryan Bertrand – £11.9m
Bertrand has come on leaps and bounds since joining the South Coast club permanently from Chelsea and that is reflected by his high placing in this list. Defensively he is very sound whilst he offers a good threat going forward so the next step for him must be to try and nail down an England spot.
2. Fraser Forster – £12.75m
England’s number two might feel he has a chance of ousting Joe Hart with him out in Torino and there can be no disputing his importance to Southampton. When on form he can keep any side out and has shown on a number of occasions he has the ability to do world class things between the sticks.
1. Dusan Tadic – £14.45m
When on form Tadic is arguably the club’s best player and that is therefore reflected in him being top of this list. He has great creativity and awareness when he plays and his goal against West Ham where he sat Adrian down was the perfect demonstration of this – a top player.