Southampton Season Preview: Key Player, Signing to Watch, Predicted Lineup and Betting Tip

Southampton are next up in our 2024/25 Premier League season preview as we look back at their 2023/24 campaign, pick out the key player, the signing to watch, predict where they'll finish and make a betting tip via oddschecker. 

2023/24 Season Roundup 

After finishing rock-bottom in the Premier League in 2022/23, Southampton dropped down to the Championship and underwent a total reset under new boss Russell Martin. The former Swansea and MK Dons manager’s bold and brave philosophy saw the Saints concede plenty of goals (63), but also score more from open play than any other team in the division (66).

Southampton flirted with the prospect of automatic promotion throughout the season, but ultimately came up short, finishing fourth and entering the play-offs, where they saw off West Bromwich Albion and Leeds United - at Wembley - to seal their return to the top-flight. 

Key Player - Flynn Downes 

In the Championship last term, there were two versions of Southampton: the one with Flynn Downes, and the one without. Indeed, the Saints won 67.6% of their league matches with the West Ham loanee starting, compared with just 33.3% of those without. As such, the club moved quickly to secure 25-year-old’s services on a permanent deal, paying West Ham around £18 million in July. 

Signing to Watch - Yukinari Sugawara 

With many at the club expecting star player Kyle Walker-Peters to move on this summer, Southampton wasted no time in securing a replacement for the full-back well in advance, completing the signing of Japanese right-back Yukinari Sugawara from AZ Alkmaar. Last term, the 24-year-old was AZ’s second highest rated player in the Eredivisie, with a WhoScored rating of 7.17 bettered only by the division’s joint-top goalscorer Vangelis Pavlidis.

For a fee of just £6 million, Sugawara is an exciting capture for the Saints, possessing an impressive crossing and set-piece taking ability, and the promise of attacking output - the Japan international returned four goals and seven assists in the Netherlands last season.

Predicted opening day XI: McCarthy; Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek, Stephens; Sugawara, Smallbone, Downes, Aribo, Walker-Peters; Armstrong, Brereton Diaz 

Predicted finish - 18th 

Betting tip 

Despite the additions made to Russell Martin’s squad so far, Southampton are expected to go straight back down to the Championship this season. 

As such, we’re backing the Saints for relegation at best price 27/20 with LiveScoreBet, via oddschecker (price correct as of 11:00 on 15/08/2024).