RONALD Koeman believes that the next step forward for Saints is to be playing in Europe on a regular basis.

With five games left this season Koeman is aiming to take the club into the Europa League for a second season in a row.

The last time that Saints played on the continent in back-to-back campaigns was more than 30 years ago.

And the boss reckons that qualifying for Europe every term will represent significant progress and help the club attract new players.

"Southampton is a really a stable Premier League club and of course we had the chance to play in Europe from last season," Koeman said. "We like to do it again next season and the next step is to be part of Europe every season.

"That’s difficult because you talk about six teams in the Premier League that normally are the first six in the table.

"It’s great to see what happened this season that West Ham are knocking on the door, Leicester will normally win the title. That’s fantastic for the Premier League because it shows to the rest of the teams what you can do. But there’s a gap in money and that’s most difficult."

The eventual ambition of playing in the Champions League isn't mathematically out of reach this season and Koeman reckons that their away form will be vital if they are to sneak into the top four.

They travel to Everton today and go to rock-bottom Aston Villa a week today.

Saints must continue to keep the pace with West Ham, Manchester United and Manchester City if they are to stand any chance.

With Manuel Pellegrini's side now in the semi-finals for the Champions League, City's focus on their Premier League campaign will undoubtedly waver.

That means their could be a chance for a late charge for the 4th spot they currently occupy, seven points ahead of Saints.

"It’s true that we stayed close to them, but if we show a better away form then we can do it [get into the top four]," he said. "Still the difference between our home games and our away games we need to improve and that’s the question for the next two away matches.

"If we can win both, we will have a good end to the season for sure."

Koeman insists he is not ready to talk about a new contract until the summer, but is intrigued by the possibility of making Saints a presence in European competition.

"I like to take them [to Europe] because I think it’s one for the club, for the fans and also for the players to be part of Europe every season and that’s attractive for new players to come to Southampton," he said.

The last time Saints qualified for Europe in two successive campaigns was in 1984/85 and 1985/86 - although Saints didn't play in the second campaign after English clubs were banned from playing in Europe.