Southampton's Ultimate 25-Man Premier League Squad
Having become known as a feeder club for the Premier League's elite, Southampton have seen many top class players wear the Saints' jersey over the years before almost inevitably moving onto to the upper echelons of the Premier League.
One can only imagine what might have happened had they all stayed put...
Here is Southampton's ultimate 25-man Premier League squad.
Goalkeepers
Anti Niemi - A firm favourite during his time at St Mary's, the finnish goalkeeper spent four years at Southampton and was a part of the side that made it to the 2003 FA Cup final.
Frazer Forster - Recording the most clean sheets in the Premier League during his first season at Southampton, Forster looked mightily impressive throughout his first few campaigns in a Southampton run ultimately derailed by injuries and costly mistakes.
Kelvin Davis - Over ten years at St Mary's, Davis became a Southampton legend and was instrumental in the side achieving back-to-back promotions on their way back to the Premier League.
Centre Backs
Virgil Van Dijk - Already regarded as one of the greatest centre-backs in Premier League history, Van Dijjk joined Southampton from Celtic and quickly became one of the club's key men. Having wowed the Southampton faithful for just over two years, Van Dijk secured a move to Liverpool in December 2017 for £75m, making him the most expensive defender in history.
José Fonte - Fonte rose though the English divisions with Southampton and was a mainstay in the team that won back-to-back promotions. Through four full seasons in the Premier League with the club, the Portuguese defender missed more than two league games just once.
Claus Lundekvam - Over 12 years with Southampton, Lundekvam was a key figure in the heart of the defence and played a huge part in the 2003 team finishing eighth in the Premier League - their highest since the 1980s at the time - and reaching the FA Cup final.
Toby Alderweireld - Despite only spending one season at the club, Alderweireld left a lasting impression during his loan spell from Atlético Madrid and Southampton fans were devastated to see him join Tottenham the following summer.
Left Backs
Ryan Bertand - Having struggled to break through at Chelsea, Bertrand found his feet at Southampton and has made the left back position his own throughout six years at the club, making 175 appearances in the Premier League for the Saints.
Wayne Bridge - After coming through Southampton's youth academy to make his debut in 1998, it wasn't until the 2000/01 season where Bridge became a main fixture for the Saints. The Englishman went on to only miss four league games during his three seasons as a first-team regular before becoming one of Chelsea's first signings in the Roman Abramovich era.
Right Backs
Jason Dodd - Through 16 years with Southampton, Dodd made just under 400 appearances for the club and was a firm fixture throughout his time there. Dodd went on to captain the side during the 2000/01 season.
Nathaniel Clyne - Having joined Southampton from Championship side Crystal Palace, Clyne instantly made an impact for Southampton and featured in 34 of their 38 league games in his first season. After several impressive years on the south coast, Clyne moved on to Liverpool, where he has hardly been seen since.
Centre Midfielders
Morgan Schneiderlin - Schneiderlin instantly became a fan favourite with the Southampton faithful after he chose to join the Saints over local rivals Portsmouth. The Frenchman was a key figure in Southampton's first three seasons back in England's top flight before eventually leaving for Manchester United where he struggled.
James Ward-Prowse - Another member of Southampton's youth academy, Ward-Prowse made his league debut in the Saints' first match back in the Premier League in August 2012 and has featured fairly regularly ever since, making 222 league appearances.
Victor Wanyama - Signed from Celtic in July 2013, Wanyama became the first Kenyan to play in the Premier League. Wanyama spent three years in the heart of Southampton's midfield and was instrumental in the side qualifying for Europe in back-to-back seasons, while achieving their highest ever Premier League finish.
Wingers
Sadio Mané - Senegalese winger Mané hit the ground running in the league after joining Southampton in 2014, scoring in double figures in both of his seasons at the club. Mané was a key figure in Southampton's best ever Premier League team and set the record for the Premier League's quickest ever hat-trick, scoring three goals in 176 seconds.
Dušan Tadić - Tadić spent four years at Southampton and was a first-team regular in each season. During his time at St Mary's, the winger tied the record for most assists provided in a single game when he assisted four goals during an 8-0 thrashing of Sunderland.
Nathan Redmond - After several seasons with Norwich, Redmond joined Southampton in 2016 and has been a regular fixture on the wing for the Saints ever since. Redmond has made at least 30 league appearances in each of his full seasons with the club and played a key role in the club avoiding relegation in the 2018/19 season.
Hassan Kachloul - Having chosen Southampton over Ipswich in 1998, Kachloul spent three seasons at St Mary's, hitting the back of the net 14 times in the league. Kachloul eventually departed for Aston Villa after making 85 appearances for Southampton.
Attacking Midfielders
Matt Le Tissier - Undoubtedly Southampton's greatest ever player, Le Tissier spent 16 of his 17-year career at the club. While many of Southampton's top players like Alan Shearer and Tim Flowers left the club in the early 90s, Le Tissier remained loyal to the side thus becoming a huge fan favourite. 'Le God' became the first ever midfielder to score 100 Premier League goals during his time at Southampton.
Adam Lallana - Another of Southampton's fine youth academy graduates, Lallana was pivotal in the club's back to back promotions from League One back to the Premier League. After six seasons as a first-team regular, Lallana, like so many others, left St Mary's for Anfield.
Glenn Cockerill - Although Cockerill spent eight years at Southampton, making just under 300 league appearances for the club, only one of those seasons was in the Premier League. Known for his long-range shooting and excellent passing skills, Cockerill scored 32 league goals for the Saints.
Strikers
James Beattie - After a slow start to life at St Mary's, Beattie enjoyed four prolific seasons leading the Saints' front line. Four straight seasons with a double figure goal tally cemented Beattie's place as a club legend, finishing as the club's top scorer in three of the four years.
Rickie Lambert - Lambert's goals throughout the divisions were a huge reason why Southampton returned to the Premier League and the striker's form didn't waver once they did. 28 league goals in two seasons helped the Saints re-establish themselves as a Premier League side before Lambert departed for, yeah you guessed it, Liverpool.
Marians Pahars - The first Latvian to ever play in the Premier League, Pahars made an instant impact for Southampton, scoring both goals in a 2-0 win to secure the Saints' Premier League survival. Pahars spent seven years at the club, with several unfortunately ruined by injuries.
Graziano Pellè - Despite only spending two years with Southampton, Pellè finished as the club's top scorer in both years and his goals were crucial in the side qualifying for the Europa League in two straight seasons.
