Possible summer targets for Southampton

With the departure of Mauricio Pochettino, an exodus at Southampton FC looks imminent. With Liverpool already having completed the signing of Rickie Lambert and Luke Shaw keen on completing his move to Old Trafford before the World Cup, the outflow of players from the St. Marys Stadium have already begun.Despite claiming to be under no financial pressure, the Saints will have to let go off most of their priced assets; Adam Lallana, Morgan Schneiderlin, Jay Rodriguez, Victor Wanyama and Dejan Lovren have all attracted bids that are likely to lure them away from St. Marys.After a remarkable season that saw Southampton finish at the eight spot, it would be a huge task for the owners to repeat such a performance in the 2014/15 season. It would take a lot of intent and the right signings to replace the outgoing stars, in order to make a mark this time.Let us take a look at the possible replacements that might help Southampton keep up with their performance from last season, in the worst case scenario where all of the rumored players do move out.

#1 Manager: Michael Laudrup

Michael Laudrup’s rather unceremonious exit from Swansea City in the middle of the season failed to give him due credits for the role that he played in Swansea’s majestic 2012/13 season, when they finished 9th in the Premier League. He was the manager that helped Swansea get their first major silverware since its inception, when they won the Capital One Cup in February 2013.

But the 2013/14 season never really worked out for him, with his star player from the previous season, Michu, struggling with injuries and form. Although Swansea’s record signing Wilfried Bony proved his worth, it came a bit late as he struggled to adapt to the Premier League initially, making it an awful start for the season and Laudrup was eventually sacked.

Under Pochettino, Southampton played a very similar style of football to Laudrup’s - with  an emphasis on possession and quick passing and in which the full-backs were given the license to dash ahead. The arrival of Laudrup would mean that Southampton would have someone who could continue the same brand of football they have been playing. Laudrup also prefers the same 4-2-3-1 formation that the Saints usually opted. Laudrup has shown his ability to work with smaller teams in the past and have delivered as well.

The latest reports suggest that he has refused the manager role at Southampton in order to manage a bigger club. But hopefully, the officials at Southampton could convince him to change his decision and bring him in, as he looks the right man for the job by far.