The Southampton players who could leave in the event of relegation

SHOULD the worst happen - and relegation from the Premier League is confirmed - Saints should recoup a fair whack of cash from player sales. 

The club possess a higher number of sellable assets than any time since the Ronald Koeman era as a result of their youthful transfer policy. 

Despite sitting bottom of the division and four points adrift of safety, there have been a number of standout individual performers. 

Contract situations will also come to a head this summer and the outcome of the league will likely play a determining role in the outcomes of those negotiations. 

Here are the players we think could leave the club if relegated from the Premier League... 

Romeo Lavia

The 19 year old midfielder is wanted by virtually all of the top teams in the Premier League and is surely going to be the subject of a bidding war this summer.

If Saints were to remain in the Premier League, a case could be made to the young Belgian international that this is the place for him to be – look at how his stock has already risen.

Chelsea were willing to discuss a deal worth £50million for him last summer, just two months after he signed at St Mary’s in the first place, and he could fetch near that again.

Manchester City have a buy-back clause but that is said to activate only in 2024. Many supporters accept Lavia will not be here by then if relegated in the next eight weeks.

Named by NXGN as one of the world’s top nine talents born after January 1, it has been a joy to watch Lavia in his 25 Saints appearances so far. Hopefully, there are many more.

James Ward-Prowse

One that there is certainly more hope of remaining at St Mary’s is captain Ward-Prowse, who has registered 17 goals and seven assists in the last two league campaigns alone.

Ward-Prowse has a settled family life living in Winchester with a young son and is already turning 29 years old later this year. He is the club’s record Premier League appearance-maker.

He is also the club’s best-paid player and was given a bumper five-year contract to ward off potential suitors summer 2021. It is understood he has had the option to leave in the past.

If he was to stay at Saints and take them out of the Championship and back into the Premier League, it would propel his legendary status unimaginably further.

However, he is clearly a Premier League-level player and on many days by far the best player in the Saints squad. He has the free-kick record set by his icon, David Beckham, still to catch.

There is likely to be interest in Ward-Prowse should the club be relegated and it may simply come down to the player’s choice. Any hopes of an England international revival may also be considered.

Armel Bella-Kotchap

Bella-Kotchap has seen his season hampered by a dislocated shoulder injury last Autumn, which sidelined him ahead of the World Cup.

However, the new German international still travelled to Qatar but when he returned he was never really favoured by Nathan Jones, much to the bemusement of those close to him.

The 21 year old played through pain to be available for the Welshman, who admitted bringing him in against Blackpool was still too early in his recovery.

However, the youngster has done plenty to display his potential – including to Germany manager Hansi Flick – and has likely alerted a few clubs to his situation.

Bella-Kotchap the person comes across as quiet and shy, although that may be just when speaking in English. His move to England, like most, was always going to be in order to step into the top level.

My uninformed tip has been that a move to German outfit RB Leipzig makes the most sense – as a potential replacement for outgoing Croatian Josko Gvardiol.

Kyle Walker-Peters

Many Saints players are holding off on contract talks until they know exactly where the club are beyond this season. It is thought Walker-Peters could understandably be one of those.

Walker-Peters is still under contract at Saints until 2025 so retains good value but one year on from making his England international debut he could be looking at Championship football.

He is one of the leaders in the dressing room, captaining the side on occasion in Ward-Prowse’s absence, and is recognised as a positive character.

However, clubs such as Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur have been credited with an interest in the full-back at various points over the last season or two.

It is likely a Premier League club will make a move for Walker-Peters in the event of relegation and with Tino Livramento and James Bree at the club, it could be a financially sensible decision.

Che Adams

Adams, 26, is approaching the final 12 months of his current Saints contract this summer and has been the subject of media transfer sagas already in his time at the club.

Although he does not score enough goals to be a sole striker – 25 in 120 Premier League appearances – his importance to the team goes beyond just sticking the ball in the net.

Everton and Leeds United are both clubs with a longstanding interest in Adams and it has been well-reported. If Saints were to go down and he wanted to leave, others would appear.

He could be a cut-price acquisition for a bottom-half Premier League team if Saints felt they had to cash in on him this summer.

Adams enjoys playing for Saints is also among the senior leadership group in the dressing room. He was prolific at Championship level for Birmingham City.

Mohammed Salisu

There has been contact between Salisu’s representatives and the club over a new deal but progress so far at least seems to have stalled.

The Ghanaian international will have just 12 months left on his contract come summer and his World Cup exploits likely raised his profile internationally.

Newcastle United had previously been credited with an interest in the 23 year old, although his progress domestically has been stunted slightly since winning man of the match against Man City last year.

Salisu is another one who would probably not be short of suitors looking for a cheap deal if Saints were to go down, although the club would surely recover their £11million investment.

Centre back could be one of the most pressing concerns in a potential rebuild for the Championship, depending on the futures of Jan Bednarek and Jack Stephens.

Mislav Orsic

Croatian international Orsic could be one that leaves regardless of relegation or not, after a massively underwhelming start to life in England.

The 30 year old has only played nine league minutes since a highly-anticipated January transfer from Croatian outfit Dinamo Zagreb.

Croatia boss Zlatko Dalic has told Orsic that if he does not play regularly for his club side, he will not play for the national team.

Saints manager Ruben Selles insists Orsic, who has scored against Tottenham, Chelsea and West Ham at European level previously, is working hard behind the scenes to try and earn a chance.

It would not be surprising if he pushes for a clean break in the summer and there is likely to be interest somewhere in Europe due to his international pedigree.

Out-of-contract players

Moi Elyounoussi, Theo Walcott and Willy Caballero are all out of contract this summer. In the event of relegation, it is likely Elyounoussi and Walcott could both leave.

Caballero could always be retained as goalkeeping backup but Gavin Bazunu and Alex McCarthy will both still be on the books, and academy youngster Ollie Wright has had first-team exposure.