Southampton have paid the price for their rather poor recruitment of players from across Europe in recent transfer windows.
It has become apparent that current owner Gao Jisheng is unwilling to invest significant sums into the club’s transfer budget, with plenty of money having already been wasted on underperforming senior players.
The Saints attempted to cut their losses on some of these arrivals during the past two transfer windows but were mostly unsuccessful, and were forced to settle for loans this season.
This failure to successfully sell players left Ralph Hasenhuttl with little choice but to stick with the options he had at his disposal from January onwards, as sufficient funds were evidently unavailable.
Ahead of the manager’s first full pre-season at Southampton, though, a barrage of previously unseen players will return following their loan deals.
We’ve taken a look at what the future may hold for the eight men who have been temporarily away, and delivered our verdict on whether or not Saints should keep or sell them!
Our list excludes club legend Steven Davis, whose contract at St Mary’s Stadium concludes following his short-term loan deal at Rangers at the end this season.
