Football writer Alex Keble assesses each Premier League club and their prospects for the 2024/25 season.
Southampton
Southampton would give anything for a calm and orderly first season back in the Premier League. They’re unlikely to get it.
After spending a decade in the top flight, their descent into chaos in 2022/23 was as sudden as it was unexpected but the debacle – remembered most for a disastrous 94 days under Nathan Jones – is thankfully over.
The talented Russell Martin has steadied the ship and taken Southampton straight back up.
But his inexperience at this level, coupled with his patchy record matching performances with results, suggests it will be a tough season back at the top.
Performance last season
Championship: Fourth
FA Cup: Fifth round
EFL Cup: First round
Last five seasons
| Season | League position |
|---|---|
| 2019/20 | 11th |
| 2020/21 | 15th |
| 2021/22 | 15th |
| 2022/23 | 20th |
| 2023/24 | 4th (Championship) |
Best Premier League finish
Sixth: 2015/16
See: More about Southampton's history
Season aims
Safety by any means necessary is the task facing Martin, although he isn’t likely to see it that way.
Some accused Martin of being a little too idealistic, something Southampton cannot afford to be in a relegation battle.
He brought aesthetic possession football to MK Dons and Swansea City, improving both but falling short of transforming their prospects.
Key transfers
Southampton have been very active, adding seven new players to the first team as well as making two loan deals permanent.
The most eye-catching are a homecoming for Adam Lallana, left-back Charlie Taylor from Burnley, and Ben Brereton Diaz from Villarreal.
Southampton's key transfers so far
| Player | Transfer type | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Adam Lallana |  Transfer In |
- |
| Taylor Harwood-Bellis | Transfer In |
Manchester City |
| Yukinari Sugawara | Transfer In |
Alkmaar |
| Ben Brereton Diaz | Transfer In |
Villarreal |
| Flynn Downes | Transfer In |
West Ham |
| Charlie Taylor | Transfer In |
Burnley |
| Ronnie Edwards | Transfer In |
Peterborough |
See: Clubs' summer 2024 transfers
Tactics
Martin has Pep Guardiola-like qualities in how he constructs a patient short-passing game, deploying a 4-3-3 that switches into a 2-3-5 when Kyle Walker-Peters inverts from right-back into central midfield.
Southampton were high pressers in the Championship, too, so it remains to be seen whether Martin’s approach will prove too open and progressive to cope with the jump in quality.
Ominously, Saints conceded 54 open-play goals last season. Only three clubs let in more than that – and two of them went down to League One.
Injury report
| Player | Injury | Latest update |
|---|---|---|
| Kamaldeen Sulemana | Knock | Details |
Pre-season results and fixtures
19 July Eastleigh 1-7 Southampton Report
24 July Bordeaux 2-3 Southampton Report
27 July Southampton 3-1 Montpellier Report
31 July Oxford United 2-0 Southampton Report
3 Aug Millwall 0-1 Southampton Report
7 Aug Southampton 1-1 Lazio Report
10 Aug v Getafe (H) Details
Best XI (4-3-3)
Gavin Bazunu; Kyle Walker-Peters, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Jan Bednarek, Charlie Taylor; Will Smallbone, Flynn Downes, Adam Lallana; Adam Armstrong, Sekou Mara, Ben Brereton Diaz.
Opening PL fixtures
Kits
See: More details at Southampton's online store