An open letter to the departing Jay Rodriguez

Yesterday, Southampton Football Club announced the sale of Jay Rodriguez to West Bromwich Albion, ending his five-year stay on the south coast.

In a deal that seems beneficial for all parties involved, Jay Rodriguez has officially become a West Brom player, joining for a fee of around £12 million which could potentially become £15 million based on add-ons.

Jay was a firm fan favourite, meaning his departure to join up with Tony Pulis have some Saints fans, myself included, disappointed to see him go.

Arriving at Southampton as a fresh-faced 22-year-old with no top flight experience, he instantly showed his incredibly professional attitude as early on under Nigel Adkins he took up a more supporting role down the left in order to accommodate for Rickie Lambert up top. This happened despite Jay arriving at Southampton’s record signing – in many instances a club’s most expensive transfer would demand to play in his natural position.

As I was only nine at the point of Southampton’s initial relegation from the Premier League, the 2013/14 season was the first I could appreciate Southampton thriving in the top flight, as my Saints finished eighth under the impressive management of Mauricio Pochettino.

SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND – MARCH 29: Jay Rodriguez (R) of Southampton celebrates with teammate Rickie Lambert after scoring the opening goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Southampton and Newcastle United at St Mary’s Stadium on March 29, 2014 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images) /

That year, just about everyone in Southampton found a place for J-Rod in their hearts, including me, as everyone began to appreciate the style of footballer he was. You weren’t an out-and-out number nine, you weren’t a pacey winger with a mean cross – you were a fantastic link-up forward.

Sitting in the pockets between the full-backs and centre-backs you scored 15 league goals, feeding off of flick-ons from Rickie Lambert and the superb vision of captain Adam Lallana.

More from Saints Marching

Whether it was screamers like against Fulham or tap-ins against Reading, you won games for the Saints by yourself, all whilst displaying yourself as the model professional footballer.

In the following two years you showed immense grit and determination to bounce back from 20+ months of hell with the ligament injuries, and some footballers would have struggled with the pressure of having to return to the same club after so long on the injury table.

Once again there was no complaining about game time upon your return to fitness, despite us living in the era of social media presence and player power.

Despite coming off the bench for the majority of this season, you always tried your best to seize any opportunity you had, with goals against Middlesbrough and a throwback of a performance against Bournemouth.

For the past five years you have warmed the hearts of each and every Southampton, and if you do somehow stumble upon this, I’m sure I speak for each and every fan when I thank you for your fantastic service over the past half a decade.

Once a Saint, always a Saint – thank you.