Southampton 2021-22 summer transfer window. Verdict/opinion

Arguably the two greatest ever players both moved. Lionel Messi for the first time in his career, ending up at a barely-even fathomable Paris Saint-Germain outfit with Kylian Mbappe and Neymar.

Cristiano Ronaldo will light up the Premier League again with former club Manchester United in what was an unbelievable one-day development.

There were big money moves for Romelu Lukaku, Jack Grealish, Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane among so many others – Aston Villa spent in excess of £100million on multiple replacements for the formerly mentioned England international, Grealish.

Some of that, £30m, was on Saints’ Danny Ings – who was one of three key seniors to depart this window, alongside Ryan Bertrand and Jannik Vestergaard.

Danny Ings now runs out for Aston Villa after his summer move

The left-back allowed for plenty of time to consider his replacement. The other two not so much.

But it’s been a big shift in the squad for Saints, of course they haven’t spent unending mountains of wealth on players but the squad looks healthier for young and exuberant replacements.

At the end of a truly shocking window, let’s review exactly how Saints got on…

Goalkeeper

IN

N/A

OUT

Angus Gunn – 25

Goalkeeper is one of the areas that, no doubt, Saints fans feel could possibly have been addressed.

However, Alex McCarthy has reportedly just signed a new three-year deal to stay at Saints while Fraser Forster is highly likely to leave at the end of his current deal next summer.

This is when Saints will move to purchase a new shot-stopper, and likely not before. Selling Gunn probably made sense though, even if the club did take a loss on the player.

Angus Gunn made just 22 Premier League appearances for Saints before rejoining Norwich

Defence

IN

Romain Perraud – 23

Valentino Livramento – 18

Thierry Small – 17

Lyanco – 24

Dynel Simeu – 19

OUT

Jannik Vestergaard – 29

Ryan Bertrand – 31

Wesley Hoedt – 27

Saints had the second-worst defence in the Premier League last season but saw two of its stalwarts depart in Bertrand and Vestergaard, with a big switch-up at the back for the coming season.

Getting £15m for the departing Dane felt cheap but allowed the club to bring in options that breed flexibility in shape and rotation.

Livramento looks a serious pick-up while Perraud and young wonderkid Small will cover for the exit of Bertrand – and Ralph Hasenhuttl can confidently switch to a five-at-the-back with driven wing-back options.

The success of this window in this department will depend, however, on the quality of new Brazilian centre-back Lyanco, where I believe Saints can still be weak.

Tino Livramento, 18, has already started the first three Premier League games and looks to be a livewire going forward

Midfield

IN

Theo Walcott – 32

Moi Elyounoussi (end of loan) – 26

OUT

Mario Lemina – 27

Josh Sims – 24

Jake Hesketh – 25

Takumi Minamino (end of loan) – 26

Many supporters will have hoped for the addition of some cover in the midfield areas, with only Ibrahima Diallo as back-up to Ward-Prowse and the robust Romeu.

The Spaniard will likely pick up some cards or knocks at some point that will mean he has to miss a fixture. Saints will then be a man light.

Elyounoussi has already justified his return with a Premier League strike at Newcastle and a hat-trick at League Two Newport County, and could be a player reinvigorated – while Walcott will provide experience and top-flight know-how to a young Saints squad, even if his performances this season haven’t matched.

Lemina was another good one to get a sale for, while it isn’t a huge sum his wages dropped and the £5m fee could be seen as contributing towards the new Ward-Prowse five-year deal.

Moi Elyounoussi returned to Premier League action at Newcastle, marking it with a goal

Attackers

IN

Adam Armstrong – 24

Armando Broja (on loan from Chelsea) – 20

OUT

Danny Ings – 29

Michael Obafemi - 21

Dan N’Lundulu (on loan) – 22

Ings’ clinical nature is always going to be a miss, but I believe they’ve found a good replacement in Armstrong for just half of the £30m fee they received.

He looks the quickest player in the squad, is perfect for Hasenhuttl’s pressing game and has the chip on his shoulder of still wanting to prove he can do it at Premier League level which, if nothing else, guarantees committed performances.

Meanwhile Broja took just nine minutes to net his first Saints goal, in the EFL Cup. With the Albanian in as a back-up option there is more depth beyond the two starters, as a trade-off for losing the proven Premier League quality.

Adam Armstrong is perfect for manager Ralph Hasenhuttl's press

Writer’s verdict

Not including Walcott, the average age of all incomings is a remarkable 20.6.

I believe the defence is where the most positive change has been seen, with the players brought in only going to improve and develop as they age and pick up more top-flight minutes.

Full-backs Livramento and Small are two of the most hotly-tipped youngsters in England, catching the eyes of Thomas Tuchel and Carlo Ancelotti respectively.

And the fact that they have chosen Saints as their destination to develop, and believe me, they really did have the opportunity to choose, it can only be a positive reflection on the club – both cited Hasenhuttl as a great influence, too.

The attack and midfield hasn’t really got any ‘better’ persay, but to survive a window as tumultuous as this – with as many high-profile outgoings as Saints have had – maintaining a positive cash-flow at a difficult time for all clubs, and not get noticeably worse, is pleasing.  

Saints moved swiftly to end talk of a Ward-Prowse exit in what was purely a message to the fans, really, as the midfielder already had four years left on his deal.

Not all the money has been reinvested and that will disappoint some, understandably, but maybe it leaves room for some January corrections after a few more months for Hasenhuttl to assess his new-look squad.

A concern that is present, though, is the proclivity of Saints allowing players to enter their final year and then CEO Martin Semmens recieving praise for shifting them for a low fee. 

These include the previously mentioned deals for Vestergaard, Ings, Bertrand (free), but also players like Obafemi who went for just a reported £1.5m.

As of next season (22-23), Moussa Djenepo, Oriol Romeu, Nathan Redmond, Moi Elyounoussi and Nathan Tella will enter their deal's final year - how many will move on for something less than their value? 

Some would say a smart club knows exactly when to sell their assets - I'm not sure Saints can truly say they have done that.

Saints now need to put their first Premier League win on the board following the international break

Give us YOUR verdict below...