Southampton fans will feel cautiously optimistic about next season already.
While the forecast for the next Championship campaign looked initially gloomy, with Spygate handing the Saints a four-point deduction and a camp of players who would be restless to leave, there are some reasons to be cheerful, still.
Indeed, already Daniel Peretz has put pen to paper on a permanent deal, to go against the notion that every Saints star would desert the premises this off-season, and there's more positive news on the horizon...
Lots of reasons to be optimistic
Dragan Solak is clearly going all out, ahead of next season, to try and make Southampton promotion challengers, despite their four-point deduction.
It has been reported that Cyle Larin could soon follow in Peretz's footsteps in clinching a permanent stay, with Larin popping up with eight Championship goals in the latter stages of the season, nearly making his club's promotion dreams a reality. Spygate unfortunately stopped everyone in their tracks, but he looks set to return, hungry for more goals.
If Solak gets his way, too, when it comes to the FA, Tonda Eckert will also be staying put, with the German clearly a talented manager, away from all the stupid decisions he made to spy on opposition teams. The Serbian believes he is worthy of a chance at redemption, though, with the clock ticking to when the FA decides to ban him or not.
With James Bree and Ross Stewart hopefully signing new contracts, as well, the main camp Eckert had at his disposal last season should remain mainly intact, minus Leo Scienza potentially moving to the Premier League.
All of these players will want nothing more than promotion to finally be reached, with Spygate weirdly working in the Saints' favour, as a siege mentality is born.
Spygate could create siege mentality
Already, Southampton will feel a strong sense that it's Us vs Them when heading into next season.
Many will feel that the South Coast side were harshly treated and made an example of, especially when you consider Marcelo Bielsa's Leeds United team in 2019 were only dished out with a fine, before their own Spying scandal fell to the wayside.
All of the players that will remain a part of the camp next season, who had to go through this Spygate scandal, will be bonded together by their hardships, all united in their bid to finally make promotion a reality.
Peretz touched upon this when speaking right after his unveiling, with the Israel international declaring: "We will go again. We will go again and we will do it, because we are stronger after everything that happened in the last few weeks. It will make us stronger.”
Stating, too, that they feel as if "something has been taken away" due to their playoff expulsion, this group cohesion could be a force to be reckoned with next season as the Saints bounce back from their point deduction to be firmly back in the promotion reckoning.
It could be argued that the likes of Diego Simeone has worked wonders with Atletico Madrid by adopting a siege mentality approach, with La Liga titles won through grit and determination, even with the big boys of Barcelona and Real Madrid next to them.
Southampton won't want to feel like a bruised animal forever, and they could be a surprise title challenger next season, if everyone is singing off the same hymn sheet and ready to battle to finally make it to the Premier League.
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