Southampton: Super Saints bolstering with contracts

Southampton have a rich recent history of losing players to Liverpool, but through the power of new contracts, they are finally making a stand.

Southampton haven’t had the luck in recent years with their transfers. The Saints have lost players each year including the likes of Adam Lallana, Saido Mane and Dejan Lovren, all to whom have joined Liverpool.

Lallana had a very successful career at the Saints and was certainly worth the amount Liverpool payed. He played all 38 games in the league during the 2013/14 season, scoring 9. He wasn’t the only player to leave the Saints, as he was followed by Rickie Lambert and Dejan Lovren that season also.

Lambert was a fan favourite amongst the Southampton fans, scoring over 100 goals in over 200 appearances.

Lovren signed for the Saints in 2013 and only stayed at the club for one season and making 31 appearances before moving to Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool. He took some time to settle in at Liverpool but has recently showed the form that brought him to Merseyside and is a contender to be named captain for the Reds over previous captain Jordan Henderson.

(Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images) /

Saido Mane and Graziano Pelle are the latest to depart the Saints with Mane joining Lallana and Lovren at Liverpool, whereas Pelle preferred money rather than staying at Southampton and decided to sign a multi-million pound contract offer from Chinese club Shandong Luneng. Pelle impressed in Italy’s Euro 2016 squad, and maybe should have stayed at Southampton to better his career.

The Saints have, however, managed to keep hold of Virgil Van Dijk, Fraser Forster, Ryan Bertrand, Steven Davis and James Ward-Prowse. At least for now.

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Van Dijk arrived from Celtic for a fee of £13m in 2015, for an initial 5 years. He impressed during his first season at the Saints and played every minute in the Premier League and formed a strong partnership with Euro 2016 winner Jose Fonte. The Dutchman signed a six year contract extension with the club which will see his contract expire summer of 2022.

England international Fraser Forster signed a new 6 year contract with Southampton which will also see his contract expire in the summer of 2022 along with Van Dijk. The English keeper missed the majority of the season after having surgery on his knee in Southampton’s 2-0 win over Burnley in the previous season.

Forster followed van Dijk from Celtic in 2014 and is considered one of the top keepers in the Premier League.

Meanwhile, James Ward-Prowse has proven that he has the potential to be a world class player and has also signed a six year extension on his contract. The England U-21 captain has made a name for himself in the Premier League and has been key in the middle for Southampton making 107 appearances under all ages.

Northern Ireland captain Steven Davis got a three year extension after leading his Northern Ireland team past the group stage at the Euros. Davis signed from Rangers in 2012 and since then has made 135 appearances for the Saints and scoring just 9 goals from midfield. Ryan Bertrand puts pen to paper on a new 5 year deal.

The young Englishman was called up to the Euro squad and made one appearance against Slovakia. Bertrand featured for the Saints throughout the entire season after making his loan move permanent in 2015. Bertrand featured 22 times in the 2014/15 season, scoring two and played 44 times in the 2015/16 season scoring just one goal.

While the Saints have confirmed the extension of six players, they have offered contracts to Cedric, Tadic and Shane Long (who recently accepted a four year deal) as well. Cedric is set to sign an extension at the club off the back off his showing in the Euros.

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Shane Long didn’t quite perform at the Euros but his performances in the Premier League last year and on the international stage surely has got him a contract. Tadic is a new signing at Saint Mary’s but has certainly stepped up to the plate after a good season Southampton. Tadic is a replacement for Lallana at Saint Mary’s and certainly in years to come he, along side all the other players who have signed contract extensions will lead Southampton to glory!

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