Cracking the top 4

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Starting XI - Rulli, Bertrand, Van Dijk, Koulibaly, Tete, Bender, Clasie, Ward-Prowse, Insigne, Mane, Benteke.

GET IN BENTEKE! The big Belgian fires us to a MASSIVE win against bottom side Sunderland. Sadio Mane chipped in with a goal as well, only his 6th of the season which is really not good enough. We are still in this fight for Europe.
 
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Starting XI - Rulli, Bertrand, Van Dijk, Koulibaly, Tete, Wanyama, Clasie, Ward-Prowse, Insigne, Mane, Benteke.

The perfect end to the season as we beat Liverpool 2-1 at St Marys. I was seriously worried when we fell behind after just 3 minutes to Mario Balotellis poachers effort, but it turns out I didnt need to be. Liverpool gave away a penalty which Christian Benteke tucked away. A lot of players wont celebrate against old clubs but Benteke certainly didnt hold back. Lorenzo Insigne then fired us ahead with a screamer early in a 2nd half that we dominated.
 
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Season Review​

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So there you have it. Manchester City retain their Premier League crown while it is curtains for Sunderland, Brentford and Sheffield Wednesday. Arsenal fail to qualify for the Champions League while Derby have slipped all the way to 17th, not that they will care as they have secured Premier League survival.

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I am absolutely delighted that young Jake Hesketh has been awarded the Southampton Player of the Season by the fans. He has been absolutely fantastic in his breakthrough year and this is thoroughly deserved.

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We got away with it! our dreadful end of season form has not prevented us from qualifying for the Europa League by finishing 7th and Tottenham winning the FA Cup! This is a massive relief as once again we have at least matched last season by achieving this qualification, it will also help bring new players into the club.

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We have been handed a decent budget but not a game changing one. We perhaps showed a lack of quality in our poor run of form and lacked a world class player who can turn a game on its head. If we have ambitions on such a player then we will need to sell first.

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The board have obviously decided that the planned expansion we already had in place wasnt ambitious enough so they have scrapped the plans in favour of a much much larger expansion. Completion of this project will see St Marys increased to 48,000 seats which will vastly improve our income.
 
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Some tough results in the last months but luckily you managed to turn it around before the end of the season. Overal I'd still say that you've had a pretty good season, finishing 7th in the BPL is pretty great as you are "the best of the rest". Your Europa League campaign was also pretty great and there is no shame in losing to Valencia. Personally I feel that with the right additions you could go for a top 6 finish next season especially as you don't have any european competitions to worry about.
 
TheOtherSpecialOne said:
Some tough results in the last months but luckily you managed to turn it around before the end of the season. Overal I'd still say that you've had a pretty good season, finishing 7th in the BPL is pretty great as you are "the best of the rest". Your Europa League campaign was also pretty great and there is no shame in losing to Valencia. Personally I feel that with the right additions you could go for a top 6 finish next season especially as you don't have any european competitions to worry about.
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Thanks man! you spoke to soon im afraid (see the edit above) Spurs won the FA Cup which just sneaks us into the Europa League! I do agree though, a reasonable season but additions are needed.
 
That is unlucky, the Benteke - Insigne partnership looks like a match made in heaven! Maybe the takeover will push you nicely into that top 4!
 
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Transfers Out​

So Southampton have always been seen as a selling club and I'm afraid this rings true again this season.

Sadio Mane - PSG - £31.5 mil​
Sadio is a quality player but one that had a very poor season last year with just 6 goals. This is not good enough for a player that is worth so much money and when PSG come calling, I know I can fleece them for everything they have got. I am happy with this price and am confident of finding a suitable replacement for less.

Jordy Clasie - Man City - £26 mil​
Jordy is another good player but in my opinion is not going to set the world alight. When given time and space he can thread wonderful passes but is not going to boss a game and the midfield like others. City offered a lot of money and I really felt I couldnt refuse.

Kalidou Koulibaly - Valencia - £8.25 mil​
Kalidou is a transfer that didnt work out. He didnt turn out to be good enough to displace Van Dijk or Fonte from the starting team and with Fonte now 33, I need to look to the future and Kalidou is not that. Just under £4 million loss on his transfer fee from last year but for a years service I am happy to accept that.


With the board giving me 90% of transfer revenue, these transfers raise my budget to almost £100 million to try and rebuild the team to a higher standard. Unfortunately these may not be the only transfers out of the club this summer with strong interest in Ward-Prowse and Rulli. We are going to have to roll with the punches this year!
 
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Chambers Rejoins Saints
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Southampton have resigned their former defender Calum Chambers from Arsenal in a deal worth £16.5 million. Chambers left Southampton for Arsenal in the summer of 2014 for a fee of £13 million but only made 34 appearances for the London club in the three years he spent there.

"Calum is still only young at 22 years old, and is a terrific talent" Said Southampton Director of Football Les Reed "It is wonderful to have him back at the club and we have every confidence that he can help push us on to bigger and better things. He is a great young lad and is very eager to learn, we feel we can help him here at the club."

The initial reaction the signing from Southampton fans has been largely positive despite Chambers leaving the club in a great summer exodus 3 years previous.
 
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Saints bag Strootman​

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Southampton have signed Dutch International midfielder Kevin Strootman in a deal worth a reported £18.25 million from Italian side Roma. Strootman, capped 42 times by his country, Joins the South coast club on an initial two year contract and will meet up with his new team mates in time for the clubs pre-season tour of China.

"It is a wonderful feeling to be signing for Southampton" Said Strootman "I know Ronald very well and he was a big part of my decision to come here. Everybody at the club is supremely ambitious and I hope I can play my part in getting Southampton to the Champions League."

Saints chairman Ralph Krueger believes that Strootman is a real coup for the club. "Kevin is a fantastic player, famous around the world and capped many times by his country. He brings experience and class to an already talented squad and could help us really push on."

Strootman joins the club as compatriot Jordy Clasie leaves to join Man City for a fee of £26 million and many see him as a like for like replacement. "Jordy is a fantastic player and I wish him all the best" Said Strootman when asked about the comparisons "We are both our own players and I am not sure what comparisons between us achieve"
 
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One out, one in at Saints​

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Southampton have signed German goalkeeper Timo Horn for a fee of £11 million as a replacement for the outgoing Geronimo Rulli who is joining Liverpool after they activated his £13.25 million release clause. Horn, yet to be capped by his country, enjoys a growing reputation in the game after some fantastic performances for his previous club Koln.

"It is a great shame that we lost Geronimo" Said Southampton first team manager Ronald Koeman. "When his release clause was activated we tried to open negotiations with him for a new contract but he made it very clear that he wanted to leave so we didnt stand in his way. Timo is a wonderful goalkeeper and will fit in well here at Southampton, we have every confidence that we have the right man going forward."

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Saints smash transfer record on Lucas Moura​

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Southampton have smashed their transfer record on 24 year old midfielder Lucas Moura, signing the Brazilian from Paris Saint-Germain for a fee of £33.5 million. Moura had been struggling for game time at previous club PSG and only made two appearances for the first team last season. It would appear that Southampton have signed Moura as a direct replacement for Sadio Mane who left for the French club for a fee of £31 million.

"Lucas is a terrific talent and one of the leading lights of world football" Said Southampton manager Ronald Koeman "If we can help him realise his potential here at Southampton then we will all be very happy."

When asked about the amount of money spent on one player, Koeman defended the clubs stance. "The club has been growing steadily for a few years now and turning profit which the owners allow us to reinvest in the first team. We have a wonderful scouting department and have covered all the angles on this particular deal. We weigh up what the player can bring compared to what the initial set back will be financially and we then make a call on whether to proceed."
 
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Starting XI - Horn, Bertrand, Van Dijk, Chambers, Tete, Wanyama, Strootman, Ward-Prowse, Tadic, Lucas, Benteke.

The perfect start to our competitive season as we destroy Omonoia away from home with a wonderful performance. I decided to start with Benteke over Pelle and he rewarded me for my faith with a brilliant hat-trick. Tadic and Bertrand also chipped in with goals and our new look defence with Horn and Chambers kept a clean sheet.
 
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Starting XI - Lewis, Targett, Fonte, McCarthy, Tete, Bender, Slattery, Hesketh, Insigne, Lucas, Pelle.

A heavily rotated side went out and did the business to wrap up the tie and put us through to the playoffs for a spot in the Europa League. Lorenzo Insigne fired in his first and second goals of the season and a first team debut was given to young Callum Slattery.
 
Cracking read this.

Wishing you the best of luck for the upcoming season, hopefully you can finally break into the top 4!
 
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So that is potentially a trickier tie than we wanted and we will have to play well to get past Rangers over two legs and into the Europa League. The plus side to the draw is limited travelling distance and a nice supply of away tickets for the 50,000 seater Ibrox stadium.
 
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Starting XI - Horn, Bertrand, Chambers, Fonte, Tete, Wanyama, Strootman, Ward-Prowse, Tadic, Rodriguez, Benteke.

A hard working performance gave us the perfect start to our season as we eased past Tottenham. Christian Benteke did fantastically to score our opener and really put the pressure on Spurs. From then on we held our shape fantastically, led from the back by Calum Chambers. Substitute Lorenzo Insigne then doubled our lead late on which saw us see the game out easily.
 
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Starting XI - Horn, Bertrand, Chambers, Fonte, Tete, Wanyama, Ward-Prowse, Hesketh, Tadic, Rodriguez, Pelle.

Disappointment at Villa Park as we lose it 20 seconds before the final whistle. We had played and defended really well against a Villa side who are improving all the time but it just wasnt to be with Jores Okore heading in from a set piece right at the death.
 
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