SOUTHAMPTON

MANAGER: MARK HUGHES

IT WAS close last season at the bottom of the table and I don’t think for one minute fans will tolerate a repeat this year. They have spent a lot of money and Mark Hughes, a manager I know well, has assembled a good squad. Stuart Armstrong from Celtic looks a smart acquisition. I watched a few Celtic games last season and he always caught the eye. Brendan Rodgers spoke positively about him and I’ll be interested to see how he handles the switch from Scotland. I expect them to be comfortably safe but you can imagine the fans will want a little bit more than just safety, pushing for the top 10. They are an established Premier League club and spent back-to-back seasons in Europe. Saying that, Dusan Tadic, who has been sold to Ajax, is a big loss. He was always capable of doing something unexpected and making a difference. The one thing they need is a match winner.

HOW WILL THEY FARE?

THE worries of relegation won’t arise this time and the minimum target should be top 10.

MAJOR INS

Jannik Vestergaard (Gladbach, £18m) Mohamed Elyounoussi (Basle, £16m, below) Angus Gunn (Man City, £13.5m) Stuart Armstrong (Celtic, £7m)

MAJOR OUTS

Dusan Tadic (Ajax, £10m) Florin Gardos (released) Jeremy Pied (released) Guido Carrillo (Leganes, loan) Jordy Clasie (Feyenoord, loan)