What has gone wrong at Southampton?

Well, where do you even start? Just about everything that could go wrong has gone wrong on the south coast. Southampton, who were once a shining example of stability and smart recruitment to the rest of English football, now find themselves languishing at the bottom of the Premier League with just nine points to their name and staring down the barrel of a second relegation in just three seasons after a disastrous return to the top flight.

Not only are they almost certain to go down, but the Saints are now uncomfortably close to joining Derby County in the history books - for all the wrong reasons. Derby’s infamous 2007/08 campaign set the bar for Premier League failure, and right now, the Saints are still two points away from matching probably the most unwanted Premier League record.

Will Southampton equal/break an unwanted record? 😬

They have the same amount of points as Derby County did at this stage of the season in 2007-08, when the Rams finished on the lowest-ever PL points total of 11. pic.twitter.com/AS8MlfqovY

— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) February 26, 2025

Although, it hasn’t always been doom and gloom for Southampton. It seemed like yesterday when they were finishing above Chelsea and Liverpool, going toe-to-toe with European giants, and daring to dream of Champions League football. Those days might feel like a distant memory now, but there was a time when the Saints were one of the Premier League’s most exciting and well-run clubs.

Recruitment Struggles

Ironically, Southampton’s decline really began with the arrival of their new majority owners, Sport Republic. And I say ironically because, after four and a half years of virtually no investment under the previous owner, Gao Jisheng, Saints fans finally had reason to be excited. The promise was simple: fresh ideas, serious ambition, and proper financial backing to take the club forward. And, to their credit, Sport Republic did put their money where their mouth was. They pumped hundreds of millions into the club’s coffers, funding a complete overhaul of the playing squad.

But here’s where things started to unravel. The recruitment strategy, which was led by Jason Wilcox before his eventual departure to Manchester United, was focused almost entirely on signing young 'talent' with potential resale value, backfired badly. A squad that was already lacking in leaders and Premier League know-how somehow became even more inexperienced. As a result, Southampton ended up with a squad full of promising young players who, in theory, had the potential to thrive in the Premier League, but the reality was, they just weren’t quite ready to compete at the highest level yet.

Yeah but second half of the season Southampton were horrendous, and they've spent (maybe wisely, maybe not) their money on novices. That's basically the reason. pic.twitter.com/S7n0ab7ECl

— Neil (@NeilA1878) August 5, 2022

So, despite the heavy investment, results on the pitch nosedived. Promising players struggled to adapt, and with no clear direction from the dugout after multiple managerial changes, the club’s long-term vision quickly turned into short-term chaos.

The Rise and Demise of Russell Martin

Southampton were relegated in 2023 after 11 years in the Premier League, leaving the club with the daunting task that many had failed at the first time of asking, returning straight back to the top flight. The Saints needed someone new to take the reins, someone who could deal with an increasingly unhappy, dejected squad. Enter Russell Martin.

Martin was tasked with giving the club a new identity after multiple seasons of high-pressing football. And, after the disastrous tenure of Nathan Jones, Saints fans were desperate for a manager with a clear identity who could give some excitement back to St. Mary's. And so, the former Swansea boss seemed like the perfect fit after his fairly successful possession-based style.

The early signs of Martin's reign weren’t disastrous by any means, in fact, it looked increasingly promising. After a bumpy patch at the beginning of the campaign, the Saints went on a record breaking 25 game unbeaten run and finished the season with a memorable play-off run which saw them defeat West Brom over two legs before beating Leeds at Wembley, sealing their return to the Premier League.

But as time went on, the cracks began to show.

Once again, a summer of underwhelming signings meant that Martin's side weren't best equipped for the ride ahead. Martin was no miracle worker and the Saints quickly found themselves struggling to adjust back to Premier League life. Their first victory didn’t come until November, and by then, the cracks were opening. Time and again, the Saints’ defensive frailties were exposed and the team’s inexperience, coupled with Martin’s commitment to playing out from the back, led to costly mistakes that seemed to happen on repeat.

We can confirm that we have taken the difficult decision to part ways with our Men’s First Team Manager, Russell Martin.

— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) December 15, 2024

As expected, the inevitable happened and by the time he left in December, Southampton were sat on just five points and one victory from 16 games. The club then sounded out Croatian, Ivan Juric on a reported two-year deal which hoped for some kind of improvement. That was of course false hope and things haven’t improved at all, if anything, they've gotten worse, with the club still sitting rock bottom of the table, this time on nine points.

What Next for The Saints

The big question is, what is next for the Saints? Of course, thats almost certainly another spell in the Championship but lets look at the bigger picture. A more refined recruitment strategy needs to be sounded out, the recent appointment of new technical director Johannes Spors, who has a wealth of experience in European football, should help with that. If they do part ways with Ivan Juric, which seems likely given his struggles, Southampton will need to bring in an exciting new manager to lead the club back to the Premier League.

Ultimately, it will take time - and a lot of hard work but it is entirely possible. Although, the club can not afford another managerial merry-go-round and so its pivotal to the club and the city that they finally get a big decision correct.