Despite finishing eighth last season, Southampton decided to part ways with Claude Puel after just one season as manager largely down to the team’s substandard performances.
Mauricio Pellegrino was selected as the man to replace Puel in the dugout and fans have taken to him rather quickly, with his strong no-sale stance regarding the future of Virgil van Dijk being particularly pleasing for the Saints faithful.
Amid uncertainty surrounding the ownership of the club due to sizable interest from Chinese investment firms, Southampton haven’t really joined other Premier League clubs in spending hand over fist on new recruits this summer, but they did break their transfer record to sign Mario Lemina from Juventus.
Southampton will undoubtedly be looking for improvement under Pellegrino this season, but it’s fair to say they haven’t done enough to bridge the gap between themselves and seventh placed Everton, nor have they really distanced themselves from the clubs in that mid-table mix.
Who will win the Premier League title this season? There are a host of clubs in the mix at the top end of the table and Southampton were making strides to close in on those top four positions two years ago, but no question they have regressed since with the sale of their best talent.
Keeping Virgil van Dijk is essential to the club’s success, but the player has his heart set on a move away it seems and Pellegrino must decide whether to cash-in now or keep an unhappy man.
The Saints’ spending can’t afford to be over yet or they risk further stagnation, but in Pellegrino, they have a man who could get them back on the track Ronald Koeman had them on two seasons ago.
