#4 Forwards
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The most expensive player in the world needs no introduction. Gareth Bale started his career at Southampton as a left-back before moving to Spurs and eventually converting into a winger.
Bale’s switch in position saw a massive improvement in his performances and he was named as the PFA Player of the Year in 2010-11. His final season with Spurs was in 2012/13 and the Welshman scored 26 times during the season.
He was named as the PFA Player of the Year and PFA Young Player of the Year for his impressive season.
His move to Real Madrid was a huge one and he celebrated his first season by scoring the winning goals in the Champions League final and the Copa del Rey final. Today he is easily among the best players in the world.
In 2006, Arsenal signed a prodigy from Southampton by the name of Theo Walcott. He showed a great deal of promise very early on and his pace with the ball was mesmerising.
Walcott’s pace saw him move to the wings from his preferred striker role. After a slow and steady start with Arsenal, he had a terrific season in 2010-11 when he scored 13 goals for Arsenal in all competitions.
In the next two seasons that followed, Walcott scored 9 and 21 goals respectively.
At one point it looked like Walcott was finally ready to take the role of a senior player, but some unfortunate lengthy injuries have stalled his career. Despite this, Walcott remains a regular for both club and country, a decade after leaving Southampton.
The story of Rickie Lambert is a fairy tale. He was released by Liverpool as a teenager and worked in a beetroot factory to make ends meet. He struggled with various lower league teams for several years before signing for Southampton in 2009.
During Lambert’s five years with Southampton, he played for them in the top 3 divisions of English football and scored 117 goals in 235 games. This tally includes 28 goals he scored in 75 Premier League games.
Lambert earned a dream move to Liverpool in 2014, but he was mainly used as a backup. After a year with Liverpool, he signed for West Brom.
Manager: Mauricio Pochettino
Not only did Saints lose some of their best players in 2014, they also lost a promising manager in Pochettino. The Argentine played a big role in keeping Southampton’s Premier League status and also in the development of many young players. His skills are evident from the way Tottenham are playing this season.
Other notable former Southampton players who are currently active and did not make this list include Jason Puncheon, Dani Osvaldo and Jack Cork.
