After achieving promotion through the Championship Play-Offs in the 2023/24 season, Southampton’s return to the Premier League was short-lived, with Southampton finishing 20th in a season that saw them pick up just 12 points.
This miserable campaign ended the patience of investor Dragan Solak, who regained control of the football club, taking on a more hands-on role as Chairman earlier this year. To put it simply, he was tired of seeing his money wasted, with over £350 million being invested in the first 3 years of Sport Republic ownership.
All this spending has had six managers and two relegations to show for it. Change was, and still is, a necessity if Southampton want to become a stable Premier League club again.
The first step to the Saints’ retribution is gaining immediate promotion from the Championship, one of the toughest divisions in European football.
How Southampton Are Looking To Improve
Southampton are actively improving the infrastructure behind the scenes, led by new Sporting Director Johannes Spors. This will look to boost the recruitment both this summer and in the long term.
Alongside this, Chairman Dragan Solak said in an interview with the Daily Echo that he is getting a ‘better vibe’ from the academy now, closer to the ‘fairytales of the past’. Next season, academy products Tyler Dibling, Jay Robinson, Will Smallbone and Dom Ballard will all be heavily involved, reinforcing the importance this academy has on the club and the ‘Southampton Way’.
The appointment of new manager Will Still is a noticeable coup from the club, a much more pragmatic tactician than previously seen with the more stubborn Russell Martin and Ivan Juric. Still’s pedigree in Ligue 1 at just 32 years old is exceptional, showing his fantastic footballing mind and potential to reach the top.
The intent from behind the scenes at Southampton looks promising, now it just needs to come together on the pitch…
Important Transfer Business
So far this summer, the Saints have seen a fair amount of incomings and outgoings already. £26m has come in through the sales of Paul Onuachu, Kamaldeen Sulemana and Sam Amo-Ameyaw. The signings of Damion Downs and Joshua Quarshie for a combined £10m add Premier League potential and raw ability that Still can enhance.
A creative midfielder is next on Southampton’s list, one of three positions that Johannes Spors was given the funds to invest in before any outgoings took place.
Ronnie Edwards and Shea Charles were their respective Championship clubs’ players of the season when out on loan last year. Returning for pre-season, both are effectively new additions to the team. Without having to spend a penny, Saints have added two top-class Championship players.
The returns of Adam Armstrong, Ben Brereton-Diaz, Kuryu Matsuki and Sam Edozie also boost the squad that overall just needs trimming down.
As per Jack Rosser, “Southampton do not have a pressing need to raise funds through large sales this summer,” unlike last time they were relegated. The new financial year has wiped their reckless expenditure of over £100m from January 2023 off the books, allowing them to keep in line with PSR rules comfortably. Therefore, star players like Mateus Fernandes and Tyler Dibling will only go for huge transfer fees, or not at all.
Will Still’s Vision
Success for Will Still this season will be determined by one major factor: promotion.
With Leicester City set to receive a 9 point deduction after breaching the EFL’s financial rules, the Saints have huge pressure to seal automatic promotion. The lottery of the play-offs is something that the new boss will look to steer clear of, after witnessing the final in person when Saints went up under Russell Martin. Still sat with the Southampton fans on that famous day at Wembley, so he will have already experienced the pure emotion and nerves around the fanbase on such an occasion.
Ipswich and Southampton are no doubt early favourites, but the Championship is a league full of twists and turns, so a strong squad is imperative. As it stands, Southampton have thirty-one players in the first team – far too many to operate effectively. The club will look to get this number down to twenty-five or twenty-six, after incomings.
Will Still’s RC Lens side were exceptional at scoring from crosses, with the highest number scored from these positions in Ligue 1 last season. The deliveries from Ryan Manning and Yukinari Sugawara, especially, will be key from full-back positions.
Still insists on direct football – getting the ball from one side of the pitch to the other in as little time as possible. RC Lens spent the least time in Ligue 1 with the ball in their own third, but up there with the most time in the final third compared to other teams last season. With Southampton’s better personnel in the second tier, they can really dominate.
Key Matchups
In their promotion fight, there are already some standout fixtures that should be anticipated. These results could be key in tipping the balance:
Southampton v Leicester – 25/11/25 & 14/02/26
With Leicester’s points deduction, achieving maximum points against the Foxes could be what it takes to gain a serious advantage in the promotion race.
Southampton v Ipswich – 17/08/25 & 3/04/26
Ipswich are arguably Southampton’s biggest rivals for promotion; the fixture at St Mary’s next April is likely to be a huge one in the grand scheme of things.
The South Coast Derby – 14/09/25 & 25/01/26
Southampton’s tense derby against Portsmouth returns this season, and it will determine the mood around the club, whatever the result is. The most important one for the fans – a must-win!
The Preparation Starts Now For Southampton
With under a month until the new season, refinement is key now. Still will look to feed the players as much tactical information as possible, while looking to preserve the balance of the squad. Getting across his key ideas and getting the basics right will be a solid start.
It begs the question: can Southampton bounce back to the Premier League immediately?
With a high-calibre manager and top Championship squad, there is no doubt that the personnel are there. But this is football; anything can happen. Injuries, mistakes and decisions can go against you, throwing you off track!
Time will tell, but the Saints have the tools; they just need to be utilised.
