Southampton put up a decent showing once again to finish in the top half of the Premier League table for a fourth straight season but came the closest to capping it off with a trophy after making it all the way to the final of the League Cup.
Southampton continued to be a selling club in the transfer window as a number of key players left the club including Victor Wanyama and Saido Mane while coach Ronald Koeman also jumped ship to Everton. Claude Puel was brought in as the replacement and while Southampton did struggle for consistency in their league campaign, they did finish eighth in the table though they fell well short of Everton in the race for a seventh place.
Puel almost ended Southampton's long wait for a major trophy by leading them to the League Cup final but suffered a controversial 2-3 defeat to Manchester United due to poor refereeing that saw a number of crucial decisions go against them at Wembley.
Despite the solid season, Puel has come under pressure after opting for safety first in his approach and the Southampton coach looked to have also rubbed a couple of players the wrong way. However youth players such as Jack Stephens and Matt Targett have been given a chance to impress, with the former proving to be an able replacement for Virgil van Dijk who spent a substantial time on the sidelines with an injury.
Southampton may lose another key player in van Dijk during the summer but they are better placed to cope with any potential losses and should once again challenge for a European qualification spot next season.
