Southampton are still going strong on three fronts this season and Claude Puel’s rotation system seems to be working very well so far.

As well as sitting in the top half of the Premier League table before this weekend's round of fixtures, Saints have already advanced to the semi-finals of the EFL Cup – where they will face Liverpool over two legs – while they know that a goalless draw or win at home to Hapoel Be’er Sheva on Thursday will seem them advance to the knockout stages of the Europa League.

While they have picked up some impressive results such as the draw away at Manchester City and home win against Inter Milan, there has also been some disappointing scorelines such as the 2-1 defeat away to a lowly Hull side, which may have given Puel plenty to think about ahead of the upcoming January transfer window.

Here are five transfer window priorities for the Saints boss…

Buy a striker

Southampton have scored just 13 goals in their opening 14 Premier League matches of the season and that record must be improved upon if the club is going to match or better their sixth-placed finish from last term.

Charlie Austin is Saints’ top goalscorer in the league with six goals. But with Nathan Redmond so far failing to prove that he can be prolific and Jay Rodriguez and Shane Long scoring one league goal between them this term, a new striker could well be on Puel’s wishlist in January.

Bring in a goalscoring midfielder

As we mentioned above, while the strikers are struggling to score aside from Austin, the midfielders have struggled to chip in with any goals either.

Only James Ward-Prowse and Dusan Tadic have contributed with a goal apiece this term, and both of those came in the same match – a 3-0 success away at West Ham.

Puel would have been pleased to see Jordy Clasie score against Arsenal in midweek but he should look to add a goalscoring midfielder to his squad in January.

Keep Virgil van Dijk

The Dutch defender has arguably been Saints’ Player of the Season to date and he has been outstanding ever since he joined the club from Celtic in the summer of 2015.

With his commanding performances at the back, Van Dijk rarely loses an aerial duel and has been linked with a number of the top Premier League clubs in the last few weeks, including Liverpool.

The south coast outfit do have the advantage that the 25-year-old only signed a new six-year deal earlier this year, and with John Stones moving to Manchester City for £50m-plus in the summer, there is no reason why Southampton shouldn’t demand a similar fee for Van Dijk.

But losing the Dutchman mid-season could have a huge effect on their campaign and Puel must look to delay any departure until the summer.

Send Jay Rodriguez out on loan

The Saints striker has seen the majority of his first team chances in the cup competitions this season but it appears he needs regular football if he is to regain his touch and form.

Every Saints supporter wants to see Rodriguez get back to his former self after that devastating injury at Manchester City in 2014, and a loan spell away at a Championship club where he is playing week in, week out could help retrieve that missing confidence – just ask Sam Gallagher at Blackburn.

Fit both Tadic and Boufal into the same side

Puel’s preferred formation seems to be the 4-4-2 diamond system, but with Dusan Tadic and Sofiane Boufal both wanting to occupy the position at the tip of the diamond, it leaves Puel with something of a dilemma.

While Tadic has been Saints’ main creator over the past couple of seasons, Boufal is their record signing and despite being injured for the majority of the campaign, he has shown some flashes of brilliance in recent matches to suggest that he must be a starter going forward.

Perhaps a few wise signings in January, adding more options to the squad, could lead Puel to find a system that fits both creative talents into the same system alongside each other.