Over the years Southampton, as a whole, have been largely criticised for not breaking the bank to strengthen the squad.
There have been calls for the tight financial structure that is reinforced at the club to be altered to allow more big signings and more big money moves to the club but, in all fairness, it’s not always worked out for Saints.
Often labelled a selling club, Southampton haven’t really pleased many supporters with their methods of development; despite it being tried, tested and evidently successful.
Football has moved on leaps and bounds in the last decade and, of course, money has dominated; from those at the very top of football clubs right the way down to the players themselves.
However, the lure of money may have been attractive to those leaving and the money thrown towards the Southampton board may have been too good to resist, but is there that much a loss on Saints’ part?
It seems that every year, key assets are sold for astronomical fees that are used to then bolster the squad even further and, consequently, Saints just get stronger and stronger as the years go by – financially as well as on the field.
So, without further ado, let’s take a look at Saints’ 11 most expensive ever signings!
11/10. Fraser Forster / Ryan Bertrand - £10m
Forster was signed from Celtic in 2014 and has proved to have been an incredible signing for Saints.
Bertrand’s £10m move to Saints was sealed in January 2015 after having half a season on loan with the club; he was too good not to sign permanently.
9. Dusan Tadic - £10.9m
Tadic was the first man through the door in the summer of 2014 and was perceived as the replacement for Adam Lallana, who moved to Liverpool for £25m.
£10.9m for Dusan Tadic or £25m for Adam Lallana? All I will say is; our board were extremely clever on this one.
8. Nathan Redmond - £11m
Redmond was signed by then-managerless Southampton just before the start of the window this summer.
Will he be worth his weight in gold or will he be an expensive flop? Let’s hope the first option is the correct one!
7. Sadio Mane - £11.8m
Mane was a signing totally out of the blue on deadline day in the summer of 2014 and, despite a rocky start to life on the south coast, the Senegal forward certainly made his mark on the Premier League.
Two seasons later and a profit of over £20m in the bank for Southampton – Mane was certainly worth the risk.
6. Shane Long - £12m
Plenty of eyebrows were raised when Long was brought in for a sizable £12m fee from Hull City in the summer of 2014 and questions were still asked come the end of the season.
Ask any Southampton fan at the end of the following season and they’d have said that it was money well spent. Long had an exceptional second season with Saints.
5/4. Gaston Ramirez / Victor Wanyama - £12.5m
Ramirez was brought in upon Saints’ return to the Premier League as somewhat a statement of intent. He was the club’s record signing at the time and, despite undoubted flair and natural ability, it just didn’t work out for Gaston.
Wanyama, on the other hand, has played a big role for Saints since his arrival in the summer of 2013 and has been a rock in the midfield; he moved to Spurs this summer and could be a big loss for Saints.
3. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg - £12.8m
Hojbjerg is Saints’ most recent signing and the young, Danish international will be looking to make his mark on the Premier League in just a couple of weeks’ time.
He comes with an exciting reputation from his days at Bayern Munich and it’s an interesting addition for Saints.
2. Virgil van Dijk - £13m
This bloke deserves the number one spot. He’s a little bit special, isn’t he?
1. Pablo Daniel Osvaldo - £15m
One thing I’ll say firstly about Osvaldo is this – he is, or was, a phenomenal talent. He had everything; flair, precision, an eye for goal and all the assets needed to be a sensation.
Sadly, he headbutted our captain in training, attacked an opposition coach and just got a little bit out of hand; he still remains our club record transfer, though.