Southampton were somewhat of a club under siege over the summer as the 'big boys' came calling. Having achieved 8th position in the Premier League while playing some fantastic football, the Saints reward was to see all of their top talent targeted.

For Dejan Lovren, Adam Lallana, Rickie Lambert, Calum Chambers and Luke Shaw; the lure of money and prestige was too great, joining the Premier League’s so-called 'elite' in the shape of Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United.

Selling your best talent is simply part of the game for many clubs today. Dutch outfit Ajax are known for selling their best players in order to make a sizeable profit, but at the start of the season it felt like the Saints took that policy a little bit too far.

The plethora of outgoings led many to tip Southampton for relegation. Losing manager Mauricio Pochettino to Tottenham Hotspur was just the cherry on top of the cake.

Against all the odds, new manager Ronald Koeman has set up his South Coast side into a real force and has guiding them to a staggering 2^nd position after just 11 games, four points behind leaders Chelsea. Southampton’s new recruits Dusan Tadic, Graziano Pelle, Toby Alderweireld and Ryan Bertrand have all hit the ground running, so far performing much better than their counterparts who supposedly moved onto bigger and better things.

Left back Luke Shaw has a very bright future ahead of him. At the tender age of 18 years old, he is already regarded as one of the best full back’s in the division.

However, his performances, and fitness levels, have been scrutinised by Louis Van Gaal, so was Shaw right to leave Southampton, or did he jump the gun? Compared to his replacement Betrand, it seems Shaw should have stayed.

Bertrand so far this season has more goals and assists to his name than the man he replaced. The Chelsea loanee has also made more interceptions and supplied more accurate crosses per game than his Manchester United counterpart.

In midfield, Dusan Tadic has been one of the brightest players in the Premier League, and a contender for the signing of the season. The Serbian international was brought in to replace Adam Lallana, and so far the former FC Twente man appears to be eclipsing him. Making twice as many appearances in the league, Tadic has six assists to Lallana’s zero, while Tadic has also had more shots and key passes per game than his predecessor.

Up front, striker Graziano Pelle's performances have been of such a high standard as to earn his first call-up to the Italy squad. With Lambert yet to get off the goal scoring mark at Anfield, and Pelle already with a total of six, signing the Italian looks like a particularly astute move.

The table does not lie. Talk of Southampton playing Champions League footnall next season is fast-becoming a trend as the club proudly sits above the likes of Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal – the teams they predominantly sold to.

Koeman was shrewd in his player recruitement, and stayed calm in the face of crisis. It's still early days but so far the Dutchman is working his magic nicely.

[ad_pod id='ricco' align='center']