Wow. What a mess. Having produced the likes of Theo Walcott, Luke Shaw, Adam Lallana, Gareth Bale, James Ward-Prowse and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in recent years, the Southampton academy was proclaimed as a model of consistency and excellence for other English clubs to follow. Things don’t look quite so rosy now.
A flow of young players directly into the first team became an expected part of life on the South Coast. Fast forward to the modern day and Southampton have just finished a season with only two players under twenty-three years old playing over one thousand minutes - neither of them were graduates of the academy. Both the U23 and U18 teams finished rock-bottom of their divisions.
There was some good news. Nathan Tella, signed from Arsenal’s academy in 2019, has developed into a first team player while Michael Obafemi has returned from injury and should be ready to get serious minutes again in 2022.
Players in Profile - Three to Watch in 2021/2022
Valentino Livramento
- Position: RB
- Age: 19
- Nationality: English
New signing Livramento is an England U20 right back, joining from Chelsea on a five year deal. The London-born youngster has been a leading light in Chelsea’s youth system for a number of years but found his route to the first team blocked - especially since Reece James’ first team promotion - and has taken the same decision as Tariq Lamptey in leaving Stamford Bridge for the South Coast. Costing just five million pounds, Livramento has the potential to be the bargain of the summer. At Chelsea the eighteen year old had played all over the pitch, excelling at right back and on the right wing mostly. He is quick, strong and technically excellent - consistently playing above his age group at international level which is notoriously difficult to do. Yan Valery looks set to leave St Mary’s and Kyle Walker-Peters may be flexed across to left back due to a lack of options there following club captain Ryan Bertrand’s release (Moussa Djenepo has started at left back in pre-season). There is every chance Livramento could be a regular for the Saints this season.
Ramello Mitchell
- Position: LW
- Age: 18
- Nationality: English
Brought in from Birmingham City in 2019, Mitchell is a versatile attacker with a powerful direct running style and tricky feet. He has been outlined for stardom by the club since his arrival, although his production at U18 level - three goals and two assists in twenty-three appearances - was somewhat underwhelming. While end product is an issue for Mitchell, his positive and progressive play style is certainly unsettling for opposition defences and Southampton will hope he can turn raw talent into on field results soon. If he manages to add it to his game he does have the potential to follow in the footsteps of Nathan Tella and Michael Obafemi.
Caleb Watts
- Position: CM
- Age: 19
- Nationality: Australian
Currently playing for Australia in the Olympic Games, Caleb Watts had a mini-breakthrough for Southampton in 2021 making three appearances in the league and one in the FA Cup. Watts is a diminutive midfielder with quick feet and an interesting playing style marking him out as something a little different in the central midfield position. Wearing his socks around his ankles, Watts does not lack confidence and can often be seen bursting into the opposition penalty area, creating chances for his teammates through his movement and cuteness in possession. Although he doesn’t have great defensive capabilities, the former QPR player is likely to make significant inroads on a depleted Southampton squad this season and will be one of the more interesting talents to keep an eye on.