According to the latest whispers on the rumour mill Adam Lallana will be released from Liverpool in the summer and Saints are one of the clubs reported to be interested.

Jurgen Klopp is set to let Adam Lallana leave Anfield in the summer with his contract coming to an end and turning 32 in May he is not part of the future at Liverpool and they have enough players coming though that he would not even be a good squad player as they have plenty of back up.

Saints are one of the clubs said to be looking at him as a short term fix, former manager Brendan Rodgers at Leicester of course the man who signed him from Saints and also Spurs and Arsenal said to be interested.

Lallana left Saints under a cloud in the summer of 2014 after having his head turned by Liverpool and it left a bad taste in the mouth's of Saints supporters, however time is a healer and he was voted in Saints best ever side by the fans a couple of years ago.

It was felt then that he had pushed too hard to go, but in fairness he was being offered a lifetime chance that although hasn't quite worked out as he would have expected, has still enabled him to win trophies including appearing in the 2018 Champions League final as a 30th minute sub.

His six seasons at Liverpool have been wracked by injury, in the Premier League he has started only 82 games plus another 44 as sub, barely half the number he played in his six seasons as a Saints first team regular after breaking into the side in 2008/09 season after a spell on loan at Bournemouth the previous season.

73 of his Premier League starts came in his first three seasons and in the last three he has only managed 9 other starts, plus 29 as sub, a record that not only shows his injury record but how far down the pecking order he now is at Anfield this term he has started just 3 games in the league plus 10 as sub.

So it looks like his career at Anfield is over at the end of the season and he will hope to go out with a bang with a Premier League winners medal.

He will feel that his move in 2014 was justified given the trophies he has won assuming that there is no catastrophic collapse by Liverpool in the next couple of months, but is their a way for a return to St Mary's for him ? would the club want him and more to the points would the supporters accept him back.

The reason that Dejan Lovren was hated when he left Saints was because he was seen as a mercenary, but Lallana has got stick for a different reason, at the time of his departure he was loved, he was the local hero at the peak of his career and he scorned us, it was akin to being dumped by your wife/girlfriend/partner, we felt jilted, we loved him and hated him at the same time.

So would it work out second time ? That is the big question, at 32 and seemingly past this injury issues he could be a good option for Saints and without the need to pay a transfer fee, certainly he would be better than the likes of Sofiane Boufal for instance and given that he has played so little in the last three years he might be fitter than others at this age as his body hasn't taken so much of a pounding.

He doesn't fit the usual signing for Saints of late, but that doesn't mean that the club's policy of signing only younger players is right or cannot be changed, certainly we are lacking a few old experienced heads on the field and Lallana would certainly be that and is still a player who can create things.

The fact that he is on a free would mean that we could afford his wages, so I would put on the table that even if it was only a one year deal, paying around 4 million in wages would be a good overall price for a player of his calibre.

So he could be an option for Saints and with his parents etc still living fairly local it may suit him better to move back down to this area rather than in another part of the country.

The key may be who else would want him, certainly the three clubs mentioned would be more attractive, but he would get less game time there and not much more of a chance of actually winning anything, so from this perspective the deal could still be on, it just depends whether his ambition is to play more games or to get a bigger pay day.

In the summer we will see who is in the frame to sign him and what his own priorities are, but would you welcome him back to St Mary's ?

Give your opinion below and vote now in our poll using the link below.

https://www.fansnetwork.co.uk/football/southampton/members//polls/2425/should-sa

Photo: Action Images

stmichael added 10:41 - Feb 12 Of course we should be interested. Would be nice for him to finish at SMS on good terms as his service to this club absolutely deserves it. One of the biggest single contributors in our entire history. Get him back Ralph 👍
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redwight added 10:50 - Feb 12 Yes, without question.
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legod7 added 11:27 - Feb 12 I personally can’t see him coming here at all.His age is against him and would not fit in with Ralph’s ethos of younger players. I can’t see him wanting to go to one of the other “big 6” clubs to sit on the bench. I can see him going to Bournemouth if they stay in the Premier League.
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Saintaxidriver added 11:30 - Feb 12 Remember when Mick Channon came back. That worked out pretty well! I would like another creative player with his heart in the right place and relatively cheap for a couple of years!
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GeordieSaint added 11:47 - Feb 12 A truly glorious footballer. One of the best I have ever seen in a saints shirt. I still wish I got Lambert on the back of my England top for the Brazil world cup though.
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Sanguin added 11:55 - Feb 12 I realise Darren Bent spoke about this, but I think it’s a lazy link. You sum up the feeling we have around Lallana’s departure perfectly, and I agree that I wouldn’t be opposed to him returning. But I can’t see it happening for two reasons. Firstly, his age; we have a policy of buying and developing young players. Secondly, his wages; with Cedric we’re actively leaving ourselves short in an effort to clear out some of the higher earners in the club.

4

slimcarto added 13:16 - Feb 12 Saints probably wouldn’t want to pay his high wages - too much for an unreliable return. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him join David Beckham’s MLS side.
6

highfield49 added 14:12 - Feb 12 I'm not sure whether this nasty rumour should come under the category of an offensive or inappropriate post Nick. As far as I'm concerned he well and truly burned his bridges many years ago and I'd resent any of my ticket money going into his bulging wallet.
4

1970 added 15:05 - Feb 12 This man didn't just leave us Nick he sh*t in our handbag on the way out , I can't believe some people want players like him at our club because most don't , you compare him to Boufal but with all Boufal's faults he has always behaved like a model pro Liar-Lana is clearly way above his station, let west ham have him or better still Bournemouth the place where he claims he learned his trade, he could never last ninety minutes anyway.coyr

3

underweststand added 15:22 - Feb 12 Was wondering when you'd get around to this thread, well done Nick. It's all rests with Ralph's decision of - IF we got Lallana - would he play him? When he left, the club was going nowhere, he was playing his best football, and it was the obvious time to move, as he was on the verge of nailing down an England place. (I'm glad he didn't go to Spurs anyway). There was a lot of disappointment, but not so much bitterness when Lambert, Clyne or Mane making their moves to Liverpool. To me this is nonsense..IMHO he gave us 12 years of his footballing life, even when we were down to lower league status, so let those who want to wallow in their anger do so - for me it's not a "personal arguement". I've seen Chivers, Channon, Shilton and Keegan come and go at the height of their careers and that's just part of life in any job, especially one where the next injury could be "career-ending". If anyone wants to use the " injury crock" arguement , maybe they should ask themselves the same question - about that other "crock" we bought - Danny Ings ? As for Lallana's injuries - many players who have put in nearly 500 games probably have a new pair of kneecaps by now anyway, but he looks pretty good with Liverpool just now. Anyone arguing AGE ?...can look to ...Steven Davis who is still DAJF Rangers at 36, and whilst are we in agreement about keeping Shane Long ( I think we should btw) when he is already 33. Like Long ...I wouldn't expect him to play 95 minutes every week. The big PLUS arguement is ...Lallana will be a FREE transfer, so if he does get a higher than average salary - we can surely afford that, and no-one I have read suggests that we give him a 5 year contract.(!) Finally ..his stats. are far superior to anyone else we can compare with. At the time AL left he'd played 265 games and netted 60 goals (better than many strikers we've had) , at present JWP has played (+/-) the same number of games but with half as many goals, and for all his good points Davis managed a dozen goals with similar game stats. IF Lallana were to re-join I'm sure the section of "fans" who regularly " Boo our team" would have a field day (except whenever he scored), but personally I think that getting him back (even for 2-3 years ) , would be a " no brainer ". He is that element of experience that we lack right now and he has played at the highest level. I only wish that Rickie Lambert was still around to be able to play alongside him.

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I_would added 15:28 - Feb 12 Won't come here. Gao won't pay the signing on fee or wages that his PR guru/agent requires. Crock anyway. And he can't make his mind up about his hair style or beard.
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Consigliere added 17:57 - Feb 12 No. Its a business decision not an emotional one (though that's also a "No). He was forever getting injured when he played for us and will surely be even more crocked now. Waste of money.
1

halftimeorange added 18:03 - Feb 12 I can't see this happening. True, Lallana is or has been a gifted player but, if I recall correctly, he didn't move on when the likes of Walcott, McGoldrick, Best et al went as Lallana had a medical problem - a hole-in-the heart thing and bigger clubs did not want to take the risk at that time, he needed to prove his durability. Now, he's more of a sick-note than reliable older head and he will be aware that too many supporters don't want to see him donning a Saints shirt ever again. His glorified deays here are behind him.

1

saintmark1976 added 18:27 - Feb 12 I'm of the same opinion as Highfield49. No thank you Adam and the same applies to Spiderman.
0

allsaint54 added 18:56 - Feb 12 Definitely a no no. Too old, wages too high, wouldn't survive a high pressing game as proven at Liverpool under Klopp. Wouldn't have him even on a free transfer. Let him go to Derby & join Rooney.
2

saintlee added 20:23 - Feb 12 Nope. This has got a transfer to those gobby little tw@ts down the A31 written all over it !!!
2

luffy22 added 22:21 - Feb 12 he was a good player for us at theme, but why on earth would we want a player that is not good enough for Liverpools reserve side? We need to be singing talent, not has beens. is that really all saints are now, a place for cast offs to Come to for an easy pay cheque?
1

LoisDeem added 09:49 - Feb 14 Head: ain't going to happen, high maintenance, won't fit or stay fit within our game. We move on. Heart: never go back, especially if you take people at their word. Happy Valentines Saints Lovers! Likely Destination: 1) Leicester with Rodgers 2) Cherries -if they stay up. 3) West Ham -they love an expensive 'name' more than most. 93) Whatever, Us, after humble televised apology, sponsored by Nivea, then buying multiple shares and crawling from Eastleigh, where he was on loan, wages paid by others.

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