Two Players Who Could Leave Southampton At The End Of The Season
From finishing in the top half of the table to finding themselves in the drop zone in the Premier League, Southampton’s fall from grace this season has been quite astonishing to say the least.
It was a strange decision by the club to have sacked Claude Puel last summer, despite the Frenchman leading the club to a more than a respectable eighth place. Having brought in Mauricio Pellegrino as a replacement, the Saints have struggled to get results under the Argentine. Southampton, this term, have registered just five wins in the Premier League, only basement-dwellers West Bromwich Albion (3) have won fewer games.
With the close season fast approaching, the club will be hoping that things take a turn for the better and given how congested the lower-half of the PL table is, a good run of results could take them away from the threat of relegation.
Irrespective of which side of the relegation zone they end up in the when the season finishes, there is a strong possibility of a squad revamp over the summer and here we look at two players who could be on their way out of the St. Mary’s in the summer;
Ryan Bertrand
The 28-year old left-back has been a subject of interest for some of the Premier League heavy-hitters like former club Chelsea and Manchester City over the past year or so and is someone that could be on his way out at the end of the season for greener pastures.
Having moved to Southampton from the Blues in 2015, Bertrand has grown into one of the most reliable left-backs in the Premier League and has established himself as a regular for the England national team as well. The defender has notched up 134 appearances for the South Coast side in just a little over three years, scoring 6 goals and setting up 17 more.
With Pep Guardiola still looking for a new left-back in the summer, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see City open their chequebook to sign Bertrand and the player would be more than willing to join up with the champions-elect, especially if they drop down to the second-tier.
Manolo Gabbiadini
Italian striker Manolo Gabbiadini could be another high-profile exit from the South Coast club in the summer irrespective of where they finish the season.
The forward arrived at the club last year and began with a bang but has tailed off quite badly in the ongoing campaign. And it has not helped his cause that the manager hasn’t really shown a lot of faith in him. There were murmurs of growing frustrations at the lack of playing time and that will have only intensified following the arrival of Guido Carrillo last month.
With the situation not very much likely to change between now and the end of the season, an exit in the summer looks like a strong probability for Gabbiadini.
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