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Five Southampton players to keep an eye on in the summer transfer window now that they are relegated from the Premier League.
Following a 2-0 home defeat to Fulham in the Premier League, Southampton have now officially been relegated to the English Championship.
The Saints endured a horrible campaign and have now been put out of their misery with two games still to play this season, ending their 11-year stay as a Premier League club.
Their relegation will expectedly trigger a fire sale when the summer transfer window opens in June and here are the most likely players to move on to new clubs in no particular order as they are too good to play in the second division.
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James Ward-Prowse
English midfielder James Ward-Prowse is probably the most likely Southampton player to depart the club this summer and he has already been linked with multiple clubs.
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The 28-year-old has been primed for a bigger move for a while now and Southampton’s unfortunate relegation provides a springboard for the set-piece specialist.
Ward-Prowse has scored 10 goals in 43 games for the Saints so far this season, making him their joint-top scorer while also contributing four assists.
The England international has also scored 17 goals directly from free kicks in the Premier League so far, the second-highest tally in the competition behind only David Beckham with 18.
It remains to be seen where Ward-Prowse will end up if he does leave St Mary’s this summer but clubs like Liverpool and Aston Villa have been mentioned so far.
Romeo Lavia
Relegation or not, Romeo Lavia’s days as a Saint were always numbered as the teenager had been in high demand since the January transfer window.
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The 19-year-old defensive midfielder has been exceptional in his debut Premier League season having joined from Manchester City for a €12.3 million fee last summer.
He has since played 32 games across all competitions for Southampton and is being courted by top clubs like Chelsea and Arsenal.
It is difficult to see the young Belgian going down with Southampton, the relegation has most likely fast-tracked his ascension to a bigger team.
Armel Bella-Kotchap
Armel Bella-Kotchap only joined Southampton from German club VFL Bochum for €11 million last summer but has managed to make a good impression in his first and most likely only season at the club.
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The 21-year-old has been a standout performer in Southampton’s poor defence and played 26 games for the club before his injury woes.
The centre defender’s calmness and ability on the ball earned him a spot on Germany’s World Cup squad which already makes him too good for the English Championship.
So far, he has been linked with a swift return to the Bundesliga with Eintracht Frankfurt reportedly interested in signing him but now that the relegation is confirmed, more clubs are bound to show interest.
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Che Adams
Che Adams could not do enough to help Southampton beat the drop but his goals might have been enough to earn him a move to another Premier League club in the summer.
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The 26-year-old striker has scored 10 goals in 35 games across all competitions this season, his best tally for Southampton in his fourth season at the club.
He is not the most prolific as he has only managed 31 goals in 145 games for the Saints so far but he is definitely too good to play in the Championship at the moment.
Everton have already been linked with a move for him, assuming they escape relegation themselves.
Carlos Alcaraz
20-year-old Carlos Alcaraz only joined Southampton for just over €13 million in January but the Argentine has hit the ground running on a personal note.
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The young winger took to the Premier League like a fish to water with four goals and an assist in 16 games so far, including an incredible performance against Arsenal in a 3-3 draw.
He is still relatively new to European football but he has shown enough to prove that he belongs at this level and will have no shortage of suitors in the summer now that Southampton have been relegated from the Premier League.
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