Southampton – Season Preview 2019/20

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After flirting with relegation for the past two seasons, The Saints look to be heading in the right direction under Ralph Hasenhuttl.

This is the club’s eighth straight Premier League campaign and it’s set to be a pivotal season for the south coast side.

If Hasenhuttl can continue to build on his promising start as manager, the squad has the potential to push for a spot in the top half of the table.

On the other hand, if Southampton get off to a poor start, it could be another nervy season for everybody involved with the club.

Last season

Southampton endured a woeful start to last season. The club managed only one win from their opening 14 matches and as a result, manager Mark Hughes was sacked in December.

Former RB Leipzig boss Ralph Hasenhuttl was appointed as Hughes’ replacement and the Austrian successfully guided Southampton out of the relegation zone.

The club eventually finished the season in sixteenth place and there is a sense of optimism at St. Mary’s heading into the new campaign.

Next season

Southampton certainly have the squad to be finishing well clear of the relegation zone and the club will be hoping for a solid mid-table finish this time around.

Hasenhuttl inherited a team that was out of form and low on confidence but following a full pre-season of preparations with his squad, he will be able to fully implement his own ideas and tactics this season.

He is a manager that is capable of getting the best out of young players and showed immense faith in Southampton’s youngsters last season.

Right-back Yan Valery has been the main beneficiary of Hasenhuttl’s open-minded approach and the 20-year-old Frenchman is now set to feature heavily for the first-team.

Danny Ings was the club’s joint-top scorer in the Premier League last season with seven goals. After making his loan deal from Liverpool permanent, he can now kick on and score more goals for his side.

Southampton face four of last season’s top-six clubs in their first eight matches and this will be a real test of character at the beginning of the new campaign.

Players in

Danny Ings - €22.20m from Liverpool

Che Adams - €16.70m from Birmingham City

Moussa Djenepo - €15.70m from Standard Liege

Players out

Matt Targett - €15.60m to Aston Villa

Sam Gallagher - €5.60m to Blackburn Rovers

Steven Davis - Free to Rangers

Jordy Clasie - Free to AZ Alkmaar

Jack Rose - Loan to Walsall

Predicted league finish

The predicted league finish for Southampton is 12th. The club are likely to improve on last season’s 16th place finish and could be one of the surprise packages of the 2019/20 Premier League campaign.