FORMER Arsenal and England striker Alan Smith has warned James Beattie he will be a marked man next season.

Smith says defenders will have specific plans to counter the threat of the Southampton hitman, but still insists Beattie has the ability to again shine in the Premiership following a season which brought 24 goals and a place in Sven-Goran Eriksson's England squad.

"I know from experience that it will be harder for him next season," said Smith, who burst on to the scene for Leicester in the mid-1980s, before moving to George Graham's all-conquering Arsenal side in 1987.

He added: "Beattie has now arrived on the football public's consciousness and players will look and see they are up against James Beattie and be thinking much more about how they are going to deal with him.

"That is the life of a striker, sometimes you have to find something a bit different, change your movement or something like that.

"But it is more difficult when you become a big name striker. Now people will always say 'he is James Beattie of Southampton and England' and people are that much more aware of you.

"Defenders might stick a bit tighter and it is something he will have to take on board, although I'm sure it is something Gordon Strachan will talk to him about during pre-season."

Smith, who won the Championship, the European Cup Winners' Cup, the League Cup and the FA Cup with Arsenal, predicts Beattie will rise to the challenge next season.

He said: "I think James Beattie will still do well again. He will work for 90 minutes to get you a goal, he will get into scoring positions and you only have to look at what he did last season to see what he is capable of.

"Playing in that Southampton side he didn't get too many chances as they are not a team that creates a whole lot.

"I would imagine his goals to chances ratio was easily the best in the Premiership. Beattie was very clinical last season and I was very impressed with that.

"He has a great shot from distance, but also seems to score all types of goals."

Smith will again be working as a Sky Sports expert summariser next season and predicts a fit again Marian Pahars could make a major difference to Saints' chances of again competing at the top end of the table.

He said: "What they achieved last season was a great achievement from Gordon Strachan on the budget they had, but it does get harder and harder.

"Having Marian Pahars back from injury would be a big boost. Ormerod did well, but I felt that they missed Pahars' craft up front and he would give them something totally different."

Of Saints' FA Cup final defeat by his old club Arsenal, Smith added: "In terms of the game I didn't think it was the best Cup final. Southampton did as much as they could, but it was always going to be tough and they would have needed something pretty special to win."

A Spanish national radio station, meanwhile, has listed Beattie, as well as Deportivo's Roy Makaay and Leeds' Mark Viduka as potential transfer targets for Barcelona. Beattie has consistently stated he is happy at Saints.