Despite finally picking up their first Premier League win to start November, Southampton still find themselves submerged in an almighty relegation mess in the top flight, with the Saints sat at the very foot of the unforgiving division.
Southampton’s lowly predicament hasn’t been helped by their most recent result in the league, losing out 2-0 to Wolverhampton Wanderers directly placed above them, as Russell Martin continues to feel weighed down by the tricky task of keeping the South Coast side afloat.
Consistently being let down by the first-teamers at his disposal, Martin could be tempted to utilise the likes of Tyler Dibling more often to ignite a spark in his downbeat group, knowing that Southampton have uncovered so many gems from their esteemed youth set-up over the years.
Best academy players at Southampton
There are some obvious examples when it comes to discussing those who have gone on to be exceptional talents after once calling Southampton home, with the likes of Gareth Bale, Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and so many more springing to mind.
Bale would go on to play for Spanish giants Real Madrid – with the Saints setting him on his way to eventual stardom – before a spell with Tottenham Hotspur saw him fully explode into life and warrant a major move to the Santiago Bernabeu.
Walcott would also play for the South Coast side before Arsenal swooped in, with the speedster going on to score 108 times for the Gunners until a reunion with his boyhood club took place before retirement could get a hold of him.
Oxlade-Chamberlain also made a name for himself in North London, away from starting his footballing education at St. Mary’s, with Luke Shaw another face who has a lot to thank Southampton for.
Shaw is now a household name for club and country, even if his playing time has been very infrequent recently for Manchester United owing to injury, with this goal for England a major highlight of his career to date.
Southampton must have thought they’d won themselves their next Shaw with one purchase in 2021, only for the move to go rather pear-shaped.
Saints could have had their next Luke Shaw
Already, labels such as these put an unnecessary amount of pressure on the youngster in question, but they were going to be inevitable considering Thierry Small also plays as a left-back eager to involve himself in attacking play.
Snapped up from Everton in the summer of 2021 for a fee of around £5m, there would have been a lot of hope in the air that the England U20 international would go on to make waves in the Saints senior set-up, only for that never to occur.
Indeed, the year before his move, he was incredibly hotly tipped with the left-back having been praised by four-time Champions League-winning manager Carlo Ancelotti, who described him as being “one of the best players in the [Everton] academy“.
First Impressions
What did pundits and fans alike think about their new star signing when they arrived? Football FanCast’s ‘First Impressions’ series has everything you need.
Small would impress those at St. Mary’s in the B Team set-up, with five goals and four assists tallied up from 22 games as an attack-minded defender, but he would only go on to make one first team appearance for the Saints during his entire stay.
Luke Shaw’s career by numbers | |
|---|---|
Club games | 342 |
Club goals | 4 |
Club assists | 29 |
International caps | 34 |
International goals | 3 |
Europa League | 1 |
FA Cup | 1 |
League Cup | 2 |
Community Shield | 1 |
Data via Transfermarkt. | |
Whereas, Shaw would be fast-tracked up to the senior team after just three U23 games, with the rest then history when he went on to make 67 appearances before Man United’s interest was piqued.
On the contrary, whilst Shaw has basked in the limelight at Old Trafford when fit, Small has had to rebuild his reputation in the game after having his Saints contract terminated earlier this year, with the 20-year-old now on the books of Charlton Athletic in League One.
With two assists next to his name this campaign to date, Small still has adequate time to turn around his career, as do Southampton in the here and now when it comes to staying up in the Premier League.
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