Familiar faces could prove the solution for Saints

Plastering over the cracks? Signs of real improvement? A tactical masterstroke? Or perhaps, just a lucky afternoon?

Southampton’s unlikely 3-2 victory against Arsenal certainly caused a few raised eyebrows, anyway. This was after all a side who had gone 22 undefeated in all competitions, including games against Liverpool, Tottenham, Manchester United, Everton and Sporting Lisbon. Yet Southampton, a team who had won just one of their previous 16 Premier League games, overcame Unai Emery’s men.

Under Mark Hughes, the Saints had been void of passion, creativity and confidence. The Welshman may have saved the south coast club from relegation last season, but under his management Southampton looked doomed to finish in the bottom three this time around. There was no identity or shape, and an apparent lack of a detailed tactical plan. However, the early signs suggest his replacement may have addressed these problems.

Only time will truly tell if Ralph Hasenhuttl deserves the comparisons he has earned with Jurgen Klopp, but against the Gunners there were certainly signs of the pressing game that has proved so successful at Anfield. The irony, of course, is that Klopp, not Hasenhuttl, is benefiting from players who established themselves as Premier League talents while at St Mary’s.

The German’s illustrious squad contains Nathaniel Clyne, Dejan Lovren, Virgil van Dijk, Adam Lallana and Sadio Mane, all of whom were pinched from the Saints in recent years. Not, of course, to forget Ricky Lambert who the Reds purchased in 2014, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who joined Liverpool via Arsenal. Throw in Callum Chambers, Luke Shaw, Victor Wanyama and Morgan Schneiderlin, who also moved to top six sides, and Southampton really have been pummelled in the transfer market in the last few seasons.

However, for many years the Saints’ willingness to sell their top performers caused no major issues on the south coast. In fact, their policy of buying cheap and selling at a profit proved hugely effective. Lovren cost the Saints £8m from Lyon, Sadio Mane just £10m a year later from Red Bull Salzburg, while Southampton paid a meagre £13m for Van Dijk. Yet, the club managed to sell the trio for around £130m, making a nearly £100m profit.

Under this policy the Saints were not only competitive, but pushed the league’s established elite. After a surviving relegation in 2012/13 – the club’s first campaign in the division for eight years – Southampton finished in the top eight for four consecutive seasons, and even reached as high as sixth in 2016.

For many years the model seemed perfect – players may come and go, even managers, but the recruitment and youth development meant the Saints remained competitive. But just as the footballing world stopped prophesying Southampton’s immediate and obvious demise, the wheel stopped turning.

New recruits Sofiane Boufal (£16m), Mario Lemina (£15.5m), Guido Carrillo (£19m) and Angus Gunn (£13.5m) over the past few years have failed to impress and suddenly the lack of quality in this Saints squad has become overly apparent. Even experienced professionals such as Cedric Soares, Oriol Romeu, James Ward-Prowse and Nathan Redmond have allowed their standards to slip, and the likes of Steven Davis and Shane Long seem to be well past their best.

With no apparent tactical plan and little quality in the squad, it is no surprise Southampton have nose-dived in the table. How fans must long for the days of Mauricio Pochettino, Lallana, Clyne and co……

Yet, as distant as those times may seem, is it impossible to rule out a return for some of the Saints’ former stars? Clyne, for instance, has been linked with a move away from Anfield in January as he struggles to find a place in the side since the emergence of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez. The full-back has been linked with a number of Premier League teams and a return to St Mary’s seems a real possibility.

The 27-year-old knows the club well having represented them for three years, and would be an undoubted improvement on current right-backs Cedric and Yan Valery. While Clyne has struggled with injuries in recent seasons, he was, up until 2016, an England regular.

So too was Lallana, whose career has hit a series of roadblocks due to regular injuries. The former Saints man has slipped down the pecking order at Anfield and is in dire need of first-team football. Even more so than Clyne, Southampton seems the obvious choice. Lallana, a youth-team graduate at St Mary’s, represented the club for eight years in three different divisions. He is still adored by the Southampton fans and could add some much needed quality to Hasenhuttl’s midfield. None of Davis, Romeu, Ward-Prowse, Lemina, Stuart Armstrong or Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg have impressed for the Saints in the last season and a half.

Should the Austrian decide his midfield needs some added solidly, he could also be tempted by Wanyama and Schneiderlin. The pair have lost their way at Tottenham and Everton respectively and, much like Clyne and Lallana, look like they need to press the reset button on their careers.

It may seem a somewhat irrelevant point to suggest Southampton may be tempted by their former players, and admittedly there have been few reports linking Clyne, Lallana, Wanyama or Schneiderlin with a return. But the fact remains that the familiarity and likelihood of regular football at St Mary’s could suit Southampton, the players and the their new employers perfectly. Even a short-term loan deal could benefit all three parties.

Football is so often renowned for its cyclical nature, and ironically Southampton, and their new manager, could find salvation in the form of players who directly contributed to the Saints’ decline...