EXCLUSIVE: Southampton prepare for mass exodus

Jacque Talbot

Updated: 6 Jun 2023 10:09 BST
3 min read

Southampton are set to undergo an overhaul this summer ahead of their return to the Championship, FootballTransfers can confirm.

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Big-name stars like James Ward-Prowse and Romeo Lavia will make an exit, while hot young prospects such as Will Smallbone, who delivered a spellbinding season at Stoke City last term, are likely to be snapped up by Premier League clubs.

The club finished the season bottom, being the first side whose relegation was confirmed, followed by Leicester City and Leeds on the final day.

But the side still have a plethora of talent among their ranks - it is likely that Lavia will make a move worth £50 million or more, with Liverpool and Chelsea keen.

Ward-Prowse is admired by West Ham, as revealed by FootballTransfers earlier this week, and will no doubt be making the transfer for a relatively sizeable fee.

🇮🇪| Will Smallbone recovered from an awful ACL injury

Went through an Alopecia diagnosis

Came back, became a senior Irish international and was MOTM on his debut

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 pic.twitter.com/HcFoJ1lEYU
— IrishPropaganda🇮🇪⚽️ (@IrishPropaganda) March 22, 2023

Next Soton boss

Kyle Walker-Peters is another who is likely to depart. He recently spoke to the Daily Echo about the club’s search for a new manager and what any incoming boss should be prepared to do to see the Saints secure promotion.

“I think it will be important for him to really have an identity,” he said. “How you're playing to chop and change every week with a young squad is quite hard.

“They're already young and learning how tough it is to play in the Premier League, to play in the Championship next season. And if you're changing style every week, it's even harder.

“So I think, yeah, whoever the new manager is will need to ensure that he has an identity and tries to build some consistency from it.”

He added: “I think there's going to be a lot of changes within the club, so I'm not really sure what the vision is as a player but I can assume their main focus will be to get back into the Premier League.

“I try not to read into any rumours. I try to stay away from that and what’s going on over on Twitter, and I think the club will inform us when they're ready.”