---
title: "The Southampton Argument"
canonical: "https://readliverpoolfc.com/articles/the-southampton-argument/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Jack Bird"
section: "Articles"
published: "2016-06-23T12:03:07Z"
modified: "2016-06-23T12:03:40Z"
---

# The Southampton Argument

For every player we sign, there’s fifteen rumoured to have been taking that place.

These Chinese whispers are started as often as football fans mouth off about them, and are about as useful. One recurring team you’ll see if you support Liverpool though, is Southampton.

A Championship side tha-  wait, they’re not in that league.

They’ve taken the Turkish league by storm thou- what’s that?

They’re a Premier League team that finished higher than us this season? Yes, and they should be treated with that respect.

Jokes of Ian Ayre carrying a Southampton discount card next to the keys to his Harley have been fuelled by us dipping into their team sheet four times over the last three seasons. The attitudes towards further business between the two clubs suggest we signed absolute trash from them; a waste of money and a disgrace to the top they wear.

One was a centre back that overcame a rocky start only to be reborn like a phoenix under Jurgen Klopp, with major performances that have seen him fight his way into some people’s Player of the Season shortlists.

Another is snatching plaudits at the Euros with England; a midfielder that’s often been pulling the strings of our ferocious attack and brutal victories, hidden in the shadows from the limelight that players like Philippe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge command.

Another was a right back our fans routinely say could be the best in the league.

There was Rickie Lambert too, who at least tried real hard.

![Stephen Pond/Getty Images Sport](https://cdn.readeverything.co/readliverpoolfc/2016/06/506408652.jpg)

Variety is meant to be the spice of life, and I get the appeal of signing a lad from Bayern Munich or Real Madrid, but there’s comfort in routine; and what better way to be ‘Prem-proven’ than to have proven it in the Prem.

It’s disrespectful to what Southampton have built to look down at them the way that we do, like they’re not a decent outfit in the toughest league in the world.

I would love to sign Mario Gotze, I would have loved to have signed Ousmane Dembele, but we probably won’t and we definitely haven’t.

![Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images Sport](https://cdn.readeverything.co/readliverpoolfc/2016/06/541967178.jpg)

The name getting touted now is another rapid player that’s amazing on the ball and can leave defenders for dead.

*“Hello!”*

A lad that is Premier League proven; not from a risky division like Eredivisie or Super Lig.

*“I like that!”*

A lad that got 18 goals and six assists last season.

*“Sign him up!”*

A lad called Sadio Mane that plays for Southampton.

*“Liar! Boo! Hiss!”*

**Sound familiar?**

![Clive Rose/Getty Images Sport](https://cdn.readeverything.co/readliverpoolfc/2016/06/526883242.jpg)

He might be inconsistent, but he’s also barely 24. If he were at his best level consistently, teams like Bayern Munich would be beating us to his signature with ease.

We **are** a big club, and we **do** have an amazing manager – but we also finished 8th and have no Europe next season.

We should always want the big players and the big names with the big records, but it shouldn’t be the end of the world if we don’t land them.

We need pace and goals from out wide, which roughly translates to “We need Mane”. There are better players, but there are ALWAYS better players unless you support Barcelona or Real Madrid. Mane would be brought in as a right winger, and in that position for Southampton this season, he got seven goals/assists in that position in just nine appearances. He goes missing for games, but on the right, he goes missing a lot less.

He might cost £30million, but would that be coming out of your bank account? A price tag should mean nothing the moment a player puts pen to paper, and I don’t think people would be shouting from the rooftops if it was £20million instead of £30million; we’ve saved way more than that ten on the cut-price Loris Karius and Joel Matip deals.

You can’t help but think if Mane was plying his trade in an up-and-coming Bundesliga squad with the exact same record, people would be reacting very differently. Instead, we moan about a player that *hasn’t even signed* from a team that *isn’t even bad* with ability that is *actually quite impressive*.

We can want the best, and we will, but there’s no shame in the Plan B’s. The Plan A’s come in a year or two’s time when we’ve built a squad synonymous with our manager and were getting Champions League footie. The big names will come, just you wait.

I’m not telling you “*Next season will be ours*” or “*We’re not a big team anymore*” – I’m telling you how footie works.

You can only score in the goal in front of you and you can only play for the team on your shirt. I don’t care if you’re doing well in a Southampton top, a United top or a Motherwell top; were buying individuals, not team legacies.