The Saints were surprisingly poor last season, leading to their relegation to the Championship after a long spell in the Premier League.
Relegation saw the club lose a number of first team players over the summer and also saw Russell Martin become their new manager.
Southampton have started the season well but they still have a long way to go and their return to the Premier League is far from assured.
This current generation of players will do all they can to be remembered by the St Mary’s faithful, but while some have been loved, there are a few on the books that could divide St Mary’s fan base.
So here at Football League World, we’ve looked at three players who appear to be dividing opinion among Southampton fans. Bednarek has been contracted to Southampton since 2017 and that may come as a surprise to some Southampton fans.
The defender joined the club at a young age, having previously only played for Lech Poznan and Gornik Leczna in Poland. He is relatively unknown but grew up with the club and was part of the squad going forward.
Although he was always part of the team, he was in and out of the starting lineup for the majority of his time at the club.
He seems to be a player who can have very good matches but at the same time have very bad matches. He spent part of last season on loan at Aston Villa, and most Southampton fans probably thought that would be the end of his time at the club.
Bednarek has returned to St Mary’s and looks to be a central figure under Martin this season, but he still has a fan base to win over after some disappointing performances in recent years.
Armstrong is another player who has been at Southampton for a while, joining the club in 2018 from Celtic.
When the Scotland international joined the club, he already had a huge reputation, playing a key role in the Scottish giants’ domestic success.
However, Armstrong, while a good servant to the club, at times failed to reach these heights during his career at Southampton. He has played extensively for the club over the last few seasons in the Premier League, but he is the player some Southampton fans expected more of. He has scored goals in the past, but not as many as one would expect, and that is why he divided the fan base.
