Southampton. Last Season’s Finish: 14th. Expectations: Mid-Table. Predicted Finish: 12th.
Mauricio Pochettino gets his first full season in charge of Southampton and has the chance to bring his own players in to strengthen the side, and that’s what he has done. Releasing some of the deadwood players from the squad has freed up wages for new signing Victor Wanyama and Dejan Lovren. Both players are defensive minded, strengthening their main weakness. Lovren brings some stability back to the defence and will go up against the league’s top marksmen and hold his own, and Wanyama, who can also play at the back, is a defensive midfielder who will break up the play and intercept the ball from the opposition, and is always a threat from set pieces.
Really pushing to bring in an extra forward to join Ricky Lambert, fresh off his maiden England call-up, and Jay Rodriguez, who hopes to continue his late season form. Players such as Pablo Osvaldo and Leandro Damiao have been linked with the club, and it’s pretty evident that Pochettino wants to bring in that top drawer forward to take them to the next level.
Key Player: We failed to see the best of Gaston Ramirez last season since his arrival from Bologna. He needs to prove why he was worth all that money in the first place. The attacking midfielder needs to be more creative and produce on a regular basis; we saw flashes of real quality last season, now it’s time to produce.