Saints Already Lining Up Replacements For Next Season

If Saints should lose a player or two in the summer then one thing that won't happen is that they won't get caught on the hop with the succession planning already underway.

There can be no doubt that the coming summer could be one of upheaval again for Saints with Morgan Schneiderlin likely to leave and Nathaniel Clyne waiting till the season is over before he decides on his future, a decision that although frustrating for Saints supporters is probably a wise one for the player himself and should not be seen as being disloyal.

Latest reports suggest that Clyne's replacement has already been identified and the wheels are in motion, that man is AZ Alkmaar right-back Mattias Johansson a Swedish International who like Clyne is out of contract in the summer, Johansson is 23 and has played for his country 3 times so far and would be available for around £2 million, certainly a lot less than Saints would get for Clyne should he leave.

Also on Saints radar is PSG's Jean-Christophe Bahebeck a player who although can play as a striker is primarly a winger for PSG, Bahebeck will turn 22 in May and again is the archetypal Ronald Koeman player, pacy with the ability to play in more than one position.

After a couple of seasons out on loan Bahebeck is starting to get more game time for PSG although with a lot of competition he is not by any means a regular starterand was an unused sub in the French sides recent Champions league game against Chelsea.

Bahebeck would be available for around £4 million pounds and again would be a fraction of the cost of what Saints could be recouping this summer.

If Saints do lose Schneiderlin and Clyne they would hope to bring in at least £45 million for the pair and that could be boosted should the likes of Manchester be willing to shell out £2o million for Jay Rodriguez, either way that would be a significant war chest for Ronald Koeman and a great opportunity to keep building and improving upon the squad.

This is the way forward for Saints, indeed it always has been, the trick is to produce through the youth ranks or buy cheaply but well and then sell high and then it is a case of keeping on repeating this formula, done properly it can be very successful.

What to read next: