Southampton boss Ronald Koeman has demonstrated his fine sense of humour by posting a Twitter photograph of his empty training pitch following a summer exodus of players.
Staplewood training ground appears something of a ghost town in the image and the Saints head coach made a joke of the fact nobody was present for the Monday morning session by tweeting the snap alongside the message: “Ready for #Training!”
Southampton have been victims of their own success this summer, with Luke Shaw leaving for Manchester United and three other stand-out performers joining Liverpool.
Brendan Rodgers’ Reds snapped up striker Rickie Lambert, who they picked up for the bargain price of £4million, skipper Adam Lallana for £25m, and £20m centre-half Dejan Lovern.
United went all-out to acquire left-back Shaw, fending off stiff competition from rivals Chelsea. With Southampton digging their heels in to keep hold of their home-grown star, the Red Devils had to pay what many perceived to be way over the odds for a teenager – Shaw was still 18 when he signed for £30m.
Right-back Calum Chambers is also expected to leave, with Arsenal reported to be closing in with a deal worth in the region of £16m for the 19-year-old.
Koeman, who arrived at St Mary’s in June following the departure of predecessor Mauricio Pochettino, will now take on the challenge of dealing with the loss of some of the club’s best players.