It’s become quite a theme of their season. Whenever Southampton have picked up a positive result, they seem to have followed it up with a disappointing one.

The Saints were hugely impressive in their 1-0 win against Everton at St Mary’s, before a much-changed side beat Arsenal 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium last Wednesday to advance to the semi-finals of the EFL Cup.

The players and the supporters were certainly in high spirits thereafter, and a trip to face a Crystal Palace side, who had lost their last six Premier League matches, seemed the perfect fixture on the weekend.

However, Claude Puel’s side were beaten 3-0 – their heaviest defeat since August 2015 – and the Frenchman will surely now be considering bringing in some reinforcements during the upcoming January transfer window if his side are to come close to matching their sixth-placed league finish last term.

Here are FIVE players that should be on Puel’s Xmas list…

CB: Ruben Semedo

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Sporting Lisbon's Ruben Semedo celebrates scoring his sides third goal with teammate Farley Rosa 
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The Saints could find themselves in a bit of a pickle at centre-back if the rumour mill is to be believed, and it is a position that Puel and the club will surely be looking at as a priority right now.

Following a string of brilliant performances, Virgil van Dijk is being linked with a host of top clubs – including Liverpool – while his partner Jose Fonte is still said to be a target for Jose Mourinho at Manchester United after interest in the summer.

The club was linked with Sporting Lisbon centre-back Ruben Semedo earlier this year and the impressive 22-year-old, who can also play in defensive midfield, will continue to be closely monitored by the Saints’ successful black box system.

AM: Yunus Malli

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Southampton's failure to score against Crystal Palace at the weekend means they have netted just 13 goals in 14 Premier League matches this season.

The team has really struggled with getting goals from midfield with James Ward-Prowse and Dusan Tadic the only players to score from those positions, and both efforts came in the same match – a 3-0 success at West Ham.

Puel will know that he needs more goals from midfield and one player that is said to have caught his eye is Mainz star Malli, who has scored eight goals and provided seven assists in 20 appearances for the German outfit this term - impressive stats from the Turkey international.

ST: Sebastien Haller

With Jay Rodriguez and Shane Long struggling to fire, and Nathan Redmond still adapting to his new role through the middle, Claude Puel’s number one priority in January will surely be to bring a striker into the club.

Frenchman Haller is one that Southampton have long been linked with, and the south coast outfit could just make their move for the 22-year-old in January.

The Utrecht attacker has scored ten goals in 19 appearances for the Eredivisie side this season, and his presence in the penalty area – he is 6ft. 2” tall – and finishing ability could really help to change the fortunes of a Saints team that is struggling find any sort of consistent form in the Premier League.

ST: Saido Berahino

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West Bromwich Albion's Saido Berahino in action with Middlesbrough's Adam Clayton 
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Last season, the Saints signed current top marksman Charlie Austin during the winter transfer window, and if they are looking to strengthen their attacking options with a player who has Premier League experience again in January, they could do a lot worse than to take a look at Berahino.

While he may not have the desired attitude - from the outside at least - the fact that his West Brom contract runs out next summer means that he could be available for a relatively low fee, while a deal that includes Rodriguez could also be an option, with the former Burnley man coming close to joining the Baggies on loan in the summer.

ST: Daniel Sturridge

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You may have seen a pattern emerging here... The Saints need goals, and if they could somehow pull off the coup of bringing Sturridge to St Mary’s in January, that problem would almost certainly be solved.

The 27-year-old has scored 43 goals in 77 top flight appearances for Liverpool but he has struggled for first-team football under Jurgen Klopp this season because of the fine form of the likes of Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino, meaning he could look for a move away from Anfield for regular football during the upcoming transfer window.

However, reports linking the England international with a move south suggest that Sturridge would come at a high price of around £28m if he was to move on a permanent basis, which would smash Southampton’s current transfer record of £16m.

Certainly one to keep an eye on.