The Dismantling of Southampton

For the neutral fan, Southampton's return to the Premier League after several years away was a feat to behold in and of itself. After having fallen all the way down to League 1, subsequent promotions saw them back in England's top flight. What was even more remarkable in these last two seasons was that they not only avoided dropping straight back down, but also looked to be consolidating their standing in the league, going from 14th in the 2012/13 season to eighth in the 2013/14 term.

And yet, the prospects of Southampton continuing this renaissance on the south coast are hardly the subject matter at hand for those of us on the outside looking in, for this summer has been one of roster turmoil and understandable indignation amongst fans.



There is a reality that has held true for just about as long as there has been money involved in the game: some clubs have a lot of money, most have less, and the haves tend to offer financial lifelines to the smaller clubs in exchange for their promising players. This, regardless of the teams we support, is largely accepted by any of us who have even a cursory interest in the inner workings of the business side of the sport.

With Southampton's ascendancy and success in these last two seasons, we should of course not be surprised that the bigger clubs would have come sniffing around. What should be alarming to us while also drawing some degree of sympathy for Southampton fans forth is that Southampton seemingly won't protect at least a couple of their valued assets. Indeed, this is beginning to mirror something of a clearance sale, with such vital vertebrae of the Southampton spine, whether Adam Lallana, Ricky Lambert, Dejan Lovren, Calum Chambers, likely Morgan Schneiderlin, and potentially Jay Rodriguez, all departing St. Mary's.

Such a mass exodus hardly speaks of a club harboring at least some iota of ambition of maintain its stature as a mid-table Premier League club, and accordingly we are all right to wonder just where this train may stop. We've seen comments from the board that offer at least some insight into some of the financial realities facing the club, and if these numbers are indeed accurate, maybe we at least begin to understand why this offseason has been so torturous to watch from a Southampton perspective. That such numbers could accumulate even in the wake of a significant influx of Premier League TV money is especially troubling.

Sadly, if Southampton is not able to ease their debts while also staying up, we could be on the brink of seeing yet another tale of a European club daring to climb the ladder and soar with the eagles, only to have this climb blighted by financial disaster. Southampton have gone from being a dark horse for Europa League qualification to being a bookie's pick for relegation in the span of a few months, and should the worst case scenario play out come May, maybe some fans will debate if these last couple of years were worth it at all.