5 players whose journey to the Premier League was emotional

#3 Adam Lallana

Lallana joined the Southampton academy in 2000 and left the club for Liverpool in 2014

Spoken about in the same breath as Theo Walcott and Gareth Bale as part of a promising stream of young players coming through the ranks at Southampton, Adam Lallana has since traversed a much lengthier route to the top of the football ladder.

Having joined the Saints’ academy as a 12-year-old in 2000, Lallana remained loyal to his club through thick and thin, overseeing their rise to Premier League status, even as his teammates annually left for greener pastures.

Named club captain in 2012, Lallana had a stellar 2013-14 season, making it to the shortlist for PFA Player of the Year. The move to Liverpool in 2014 was part of the natural progression of the player’s career, finally finding himself playing at the same level as his old friends.

In contrast to the other names in this list, Lallana's career is one that continues to be on the rise. While he may never sign for any of those clubs, his being linked with Barcelona, Juventus and PSG over the last few months shows how far the little boy from Bournemouth has come.