Could Southampton be in for another summer of upheaval?

Southampton boss Ronald Koeman may be in for another summer of upheaval at St Marys, with a number of his players being linked with moves away from the south coast

Southampton have enjoyed a good campaign under Dutch boss Ronald Koeman and are currently seventh in the Premier League table.

A top-six finish could give the Saints Europa League football next season, but a host of their players are being linked with moves away from the south coast club.

Repeating

This summer has a touch of history repeating itself after massive summer’s mass exodus.

Argentinian boss Mauricio Pochettino left for pastures new, as did Luke Shaw, Adam Lallana, Rickie Lambert, Dejan Lovren and Callum Chambers.

The losses were supposed to have a crippling effect on the team and the doom mongers were even predicting a relegation battle for the Saints this season. The demise of the Southampton team was greatly exaggerated, as Dutch boss Ronald Koeman came in and shrewdly rebuilt the team.

In fact some would argue that the Dutchman actually strengthened the Saints squad last summer, even after all those major departures.

Unfortunately if reports are to be believed then the former-Feyenoord boss may need to repeat the trick again this summer.

Central midfielders Victor Wanyama and Morgan Schneiderlin are once again being linked with big money summer moves, while highly-rated full-back Nathaniel Clyne also seems to be in-demand, as he will have just 12 months left on his contract come July.

Arsenal has been mooted as a potential destination for both Schneiderlin and Wanyama, but the form of French defensive midfielder Francis Coquelin for the Gunners may mean that they no longer see a new central midfielder as their priority this summer.

England right-back Clyne has been highly-impressive in recent seasons and is believed to have attracted the interest of Manchester United. Clyne has recently admitted that he wants to play Champions League football in the near future.

The Saints could also lose on-loan centre-back Toby Alderweireld, who has impressed at the heart of the best defence in the Premier League. The Belgium is on a season-long loan deal from reigning Spanish champions Atletico Madrid, where he failed to command a regular starting spot.

Atleti seem keen on bringing the defender back to the club, while Tottenham have also emerged as potential challengers to sign the former-Ajax star. He would be a big loss to the Saints.

Recruits

Koeman already has plans to strengthen his squad this summer and will turn to former-club Feyenoord to bring in highly-rated defensive midfielder Jordy Clasie and young midfielder Tonny Vilhena, according to the Daily Mirror.

Both are regarded as stars of the future and are believed to have been scouted by a number of top European clubs this season. Clasie is seen as the perfect replacement for Schneiderlin and would likely cost the Saints £10million.

Koeman could also turn to one of his compatriots to fill the void left by long-term injury casualty Fraser Forster, as the Saints are being linked with a big money move for Newcastle and Holland international Tim Krul.

The Mirror are also linking the Saints with moves for Barcelona winger Gerard Deulofeu, Burnley full-back Kieran Trippier, Tottenham winger Andros Townsend and Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez.

Shrewd

The volume of departures from Southampton this summer cannot be anything like last summer. However, if it is then Koeman seems like just the man to replace those departures. He proved to be shrewd in the transfer market last summer, with the help of top scout Paul Mitchell, who joined left for Tottenham.

The likes of Clasie and Vilhena are highly-rated young players and would definitely not be bad summer signings for the Saints. Having previously worked with the youngsters Koeman will know the players well.

Europe

Southampton are currently seventh in the Premier League and a point behind sixth-place Tottenham. If Arsenal wins the FA Cup a sixth-place finish in the Premier League this season will be enough to earn a Europa League spot for next season.

It is not impossible for the Saints to finish sixth and they are currently odds of 8/11 to achieve just that this season.

European football is likely to prove an attraction to some potential signings, but even without European football the job that Ronald Koeman has done on the south coast is likely to be good enough to attract a good standard of player to the club.

Another mass exodus would not be the end of the world for the Saints, but I am sure that Koeman would want to strengthen, rather than have to replace this summer. If he does have to replace some of his players, it is unlikely to faze the Dutchman one bit.

Will there be another mass exodus from Southampton this summer?