After months of waiting, Southampton’s new season is upon us, and the fans can’t wait.
While many fans of ‘top four’ clubs are excited that their teams have splashed the cash to attract new talent, Southampton FC fans are right to be equally as excited. This season marks another point in Southampton FC’s impressive progression.
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Among the many reasons to be excited, these are some of the more notable ones:
A New Manager
When Southampton brought in Frenchman Claude Puel in the beginning of June, many fans had no idea who he was. After looking more into him however, Puel seems like the perfect fit for the job. Puel has come to the south coast of England after having lead OGC Nice to a fourth place finish last year in Ligue 1.
Besides Puel’s success last season with Nice, he has managed numerous matches in European competitions, and most notably, led Lyon to the Champions League semi-final in 2010. His experience in Europe will definitely come in handy this year for the Saints, who are preparing for this year’s Europa League.
The Frenchman also has a history of turning promising youngsters into stars on the biggest stage. Considering how many budding young players Southampton has produced through its academy, Puel will have a plethora of players to choose from for the various competitions that await the Saints in the season ahead.
Lastly, Puel also won the Ligue 1 title with Monaco in his first full season as a manager, so you can enjoy dreaming about that.
Multiple New Signings
Pierre-Emile Højbjerg from Bayern Munich, Alex McCarthy from Crystal Palace, Jérémy Pied from OGC Nice, and Nathan Redmond from Norwich City
While many supporters will miss Sadio Mané, Graziano Pelle, and Victor Wanyama, all of whom left Southampton this summer, they have the right to be excited by the new young signings that some fans may see as replacements.
Early on in the summer, Southampton brought in Englishman Nathan Redmond from Norwich City.
Redmond, at the age of 22, already has immense Premier League experience. Redmond does share some qualities with Mané. He is extremely quick and has a bit of flare in how he plays. While he is not known to be such a prolific goal scorer, he shined in preseason and found the back of the net multiple times.
The other extremely exciting summer arrival is that of Pierre-Emile Højbjerg. Højbjerg, who was one of Pep Guardiola’s starlets during his time at Bayern Munich, is a defensive midfielder who has quick feet and the ability to be a key playmaker for the Saints.
With his capability to break up play and then unlock defenses with brilliant over-the-top balls to the Saints pacy forwards, there is no reason why he will not be one of Southampton’s leaders in assists this campaign. He is ready to go and step up for the club. Speaking to the media shortly after his signing, Højbjerg said:
"“I’m very pleased, it’s a big opportunity for me…I look forward to giving what I have and what I can to the club. They have put trust in me and I want to show them that they are not wrong.”"
The Saints adding Frenchman Jérémy Pied to its full-back depth chart once again shows the club’s commitment to making progress in the Premier League, Europa League, and the various cup competitions. The Saints’ faithful should trust Puel in signing Pied, as he had managed Pied in the past and must have seen something that warranted his transfer to Southampton.
Next: 7 Keys to Success at St Mary's This Season
Southampton has also extended the contracts of multiple key players from last year, including midfielder Steven Davis, full-back Ryan Bertrand, and prolific striker Shane Long.
With a new experienced manager, new exciting players, multiple players signing long term deals, and the Europa League in sight, Southampton FC is ready to ‘march on’ to another successful season; supporters have a real reason to be as excited as ever.