After leaving Brighton citing spending more time with his family in Bournemouth as one of the reasons not to pen a new deal, speculation that Adam Lallana might be returning to Southampton was fuelled after he was spotted supporting the club at Wembley on Sunday.

To get the white elephant out of the room early doors, when Adam Lallana left Saints in the summer of 2014it was under a cloud, there were those that felt he pushed to hard for the move instead of sitting back and letting things run their course.

In essence no one was begrudging him the move, after all since making his debut in August 2006 for the club aged just 18, he had racked up 235 League games scoring 48 goals, plus another 30 appearances in cup competitions scoring 12 goals, any player who turns out in 265 games and hits 60 goals is well and truly worthy of the title club legend.

But Lallana was more than that to Saints supporters, he was second only to Rickie Lambert at the time as a fans favourite, but perhaps most Saints supporters had that little bit more connection as he had joined the club aged just 12 and was truly one of our own in most fans eyes.

So although Rickie Lambert could have been said to have joined Liverpool at the same time with just as much indecent haste, it was seen by the St Mary's faithful as a player nearing the end of his career and joining his boyhood club, he was forgiven the day he left, if he was even blamed for it.

But with Adam it was different, it was almost the polar opposite, he was seen as deserting his boyhood club and very few were taking into account, that he was joining one of the biggest clubs in the world, for far more money and with a far better chance of playing in Europe and winning a trophy, add to that Saints were in turmoil and it really felt like an act of treason.

There can be no doubt that there is some substance that he did force the move soon, even saying he would leave the England training camp in Miami for the forthcoming World Cup for a medical, something that did not go down with the then England manager very well and perhaps cost him more game time in that tournament.

But leave he did and Southampton supporters were hurt, heartbroken and enraged in equal measures, even the players taking out a full page thank you to the fans in the Echo could not placate most of the fanbase, although it has to be said that most of the anger was soon re directed at Dejan Lovren.

So now it emerges that Adam Lallana could be about to make a shock return to St Mary's, the player himself hinted that this could indeed be the case in an interview with Sky Sports today and most of the national press seem to think that he is now in talks for a return to the club where he first made his name.

This is not a surprise, after all The Ugly Inside speculated just this back on the 14th May and now comes the news that the speculation back then now has some substance.

Personally I think that he could play some part if he did return, as I said in the previous article, although he has had some injury hit seasons and is now just turned 36, sometimes those who have missed injury are not as bruised and battered as those that played full seasons constantly, last season saw him play 25 times in the Premier League for Brighton and another 8 as an unused sub, he was only missing for 5 games in the league and also added another 5 games in other competitions.

In his four seasons at Brighton he has been virtually injury free for 3 seasons, only 2022/23 saw him struggle and he played only 16 times in the league.

So he could come to Southampton and do a job, OK it is not going to be the Adam Lallana who left 10 years ago, indeed I would only rarely see him as a starter, but he has been involved with the coaching at Brighton and perhaps is keen to build a career in that area, I would say that he has experience in the Premier League that we lack in both our squad and coaching staff, on a free transfer he is worth a punt.

But would Saints fans go for this ? Vote now in our online poll

Photo: Action Images

schatfield added 13:24 - May 28 He left for Liverpool, who could begrudge him for doing that back then.... As to him returning, yes please. He won't be a starter, but an experienced head and voice in the dressing room is what we need. This could be a very good deal.
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SaintPaulVW added 13:53 - May 28 I made a stupid comment about this the other day. Now it seems more likely, if he does join us, he won't play every week but having more experienced heads in the dressing room is what we all say we need. Yes in favour. There are a lot of good young players he can help bring along on the fringes of the senior side.
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Centurion added 14:10 - May 28 Hmmm....this kind of thing worked well with Theo Walcott, did it not?
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Saidou added 14:11 - May 28 I want JWP back. Not Lalla. We are not his retirement home. Keep him in the executive box within the stands.
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PaleRider added 14:18 - May 28 It's simple - so let's be pragmatic! If he can contribute then yes, if not then no! It's worth saying that he has experience of our last "first season back" so should understand the challenges. I'm no expert but I am happy to leave it in the hands of those that are. I would probably take back JWP - but I would want him to step up as a leader more than previously.
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sandywelsh added 15:03 - May 28 NO. He's a Judas.
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harrapuk added 15:06 - May 28 Think I would prefer Lallana than JWP. The latter showed zero loyalty when we had a reasonable chance of going straight back up. Plus Downes has been a more than adequate swap for JWP.
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Monksway added 15:13 - May 28 Of all our past players, the one I'd choose would be Ori Romeu. If we had him and Flynn Downes in the centre midfield we would be a much stronger team. His ball retention in fantastic and would be great for Russell.
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underweststand added 16:12 - May 28 I was waiting for this one to come up. Those fans who derided him when he left will be angry, but at a time when he was peaking and Saints were in the doldrums. Few people were angry at Lambert for leaving , but why when AL left at the same time.(?) A career at the top level can be short , but for some fans AMBITION is a dirty word but I for one would not blame him for taking the chance, but Liverpool (pre Klopp) were the real losers as Brendan Rodgers rarely played them together when that was their real strength when they played for us. Lambert and Lallana could have played blindfolded and still scored goals and Lallana's assists with Saints were very impressive for a young man. Would I have him back - YES -like a shot. My generation remembers 36 year old Alan Ball playing across the field and making a career for the young Steve Williams. Lawrie McMenemy's quote was always .. "old heads and young legs" , and the thought of playing Lallana alongside Smallbone and Downes (even for 60 minutes a game) would be an incredible prospect. Having Lallana (and even Ings) back for a year or two who help bring stability to the squad and bring on the next generations new / younger talents who are on the way up.

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davidargyll added 16:33 - May 28 This has all the characteristics of buying another Theo Walcott, but in that instance we were struggling. Now we are on the way back, this would almost certainly be as retrogressive a move as getting a Theo proved to be, if not more so. I am pretty sure there will several much more promising (and younger) individuals available before we need to look at Alan. It seems the fact that he -and a number of other players - turned up to watch us at Wembley is being interpreted as meaning he wants to come back and/or we want him. PLEASE NO. IT WOULD BE A VERY BACKWARD STEP AND WE CAN DO BETTER.

0

Ricky_Pope added 16:41 - May 28 The fact he turned up at the PlayOff final suggests to me that if the story’s are true that he wants a return he would have join us even if we lost on Sunday and played next season in the Championship. Seeing him there on Sunday reminded me of what Alan Pardew once said about him when we were in Division 1 that even if he wasn’t in the squad he would come to the away games in his own time to give his support to the team..so I would say ‘Yes, have him back for a season or two’

3

davidargyll added 17:00 - May 28 Ricky Pope, that is the point; Championship, well maybe worth a punt, but PL? I think just because he may WANT to come back does not mean he is good enough to come back. Also does it not speak volumes that Brighton clearly could have made him stay if they’d really wanted him to, but didn’t?
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WanderingSaint added 17:36 - May 28 No
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no7saint added 19:09 - May 28 South Today just said it looks like a player/coach role but either way if the club think he can do a job that's fine by me. He's creative and may have enough left in the tank to change a game if we're struggling late on. True, Theo didn't fully work out but every situation is different. And while I was upset when Lallana left, it is a career for them. He gave great service while he was here, taking us through 2 promotions. Up to the club for me.

2

EvertonSaint added 19:25 - May 28 Injury prone, waste of valuable money, the simple answer is NO.
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LordDZLucan added 20:44 - May 28 We can’t hold a grudge for 10 years. Therefore, the simple question is ‘Can he do a job for the team?’ The answer is ‘Yes’. He has years of PL experience, has undoubted quality and has, for me, one of the most precious assets any footballer can have - he is genuinely 2 footed!
0

Saintandy66 added 22:24 - May 28 Totally stupid idea he is finished as a premier league player complete waste of wages
1

Mattsgrandad added 22:51 - May 28 Lallana will always be a saint but please not Ings. Perhaps Adam could end up a player coach or future manager.
0

kenis added 09:55 - May 29 Yes. Never felt the betrayal that others did. Completely different to Walcott who only played for us for six months the first time. Lallana gave us excellent service, stayed when we went to L1 after the humbling final championship season then grew with us to be a full England international through the leagues. I felt Oxlaide-chamberlain departure was more mercenary and Surmans hurt more (even if club probably needed the cash in Surmans case) than both Walcott or Lallana but I think footballers need to be selfish for their careers and Lallana wasn’t going to win all those trophies at saints. The what could have been if we kept everyone team is a fantasy. It should be purely up to RM if he wants him or not, but Brighton reportedly wanted to keep him so clearly they thought he was still capable of contributing in the premier league. As mentioned on Total Saints Podcast, look at Bednarek or Fraser, redemption is possible. If AL helps us stay up and build a sustainable future in the premier league I’d happily take him all day long.

1

kenis added 09:55 - May 29 Yes. Never felt the betrayal that others did. Completely different to Walcott who only played for us for six months the first time. Lallana gave us excellent service, stayed when we went to L1 after the humbling final championship season then grew with us to be a full England international through the leagues. I felt Oxlaide-chamberlain departure was more mercenary and Surmans hurt more (even if club probably needed the cash in Surmans case) than both Walcott or Lallana but I think footballers need to be selfish for their careers and Lallana wasn’t going to win all those trophies at saints. The what could have been if we kept everyone team is a fantasy. It should be purely up to RM if he wants him or not, but Brighton reportedly wanted to keep him so clearly they thought he was still capable of contributing in the premier league. As mentioned on Total Saints Podcast, look at Bednarek or Fraser, redemption is possible. If AL helps us stay up and build a sustainable future in the premier league I’d happily take him all day long.

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onetowatch added 10:34 - May 29 Amazed to read comments suggesting they would prefer to have JWP back....we can't have a CM who can't tackle. West Ham fans have already started to realise that. Being very good at set pieces doesn't earn a place in a PL side. Surely fans must have seen that once Romeu left and Lavia was injured we were exposed in midfield. I believed last season, on top of other frailties in our side, we had the easiest midfield to play against, no presence no bite. Keeping FD, who is a far better all round player, is essential.

1

SanMarco added 11:22 - May 29 Forget all the betrayal guff. The hard-headed decision has to be will this be a good idea for Saints on the pitch next season? The Theo case is a warning that this sort of thing has dangers attached. If Lallana was coming off a fairly injury free period I would say why not. That, sadly, is not the case, so I would probably be marginally against this one. Won't be upset if it does happen though. I used the phrase 'hard-headed decision' and I think that has to be the key in the coming weeks. Sentimentally it would be wonderful to see all those who triumphed on Sunday in the squad for next season but we know that can't happen. I am still too happy to name names but we all know it is true - quite a few will not be good enough and some very difficult decisions will need to be made.

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highfield49 added 15:20 - May 29 This does look very much like Lallana has been "approached" regarding a return to the club several weeks ago. The fact that he is only just 36 and has been playing fairly regularly for Brighton at the top level suggests that he still has a lot to give, certainly in an evolving coaching role. In my view this is an astute move and I'm already thinking of the development opportunities available to Tyler Dibling and other youngsters. Watch and learn lads.

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StRipper added 18:34 - May 30 "only just 36"-seriously? Lallana couldn't play 90 minutes when he was at his peak. If Mr Nivea wants a cushy number, why doesnt he go and play for Bournemouth? His travel will be really short then. I was fine with the Walcott signing and he did a job. Lallana is past it and any player that refused to play fur Saints to force through a move to his dream club can get lost. Unless we want to bring someone in to act as a guide to our young players on how to shsft your employer and chase the money, like his mate VVD

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saintinexile added 21:57 - May 30 No. Ditto JWP. Has the club learned nothing from the Walcott waste of money? Need to look forward not back; this smacks of defeatism
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