Braeburn's EPL - Southampton lose their way.

I was enraged this week by the news that Southampton had sent Josh Sims to Reading on a season-long loan. Simsy (as he shall henceforth be referred) is a young English winger who joined Saints when he was 14 years old, graduated through the academy and then made an instant impact for the first team. In November 2016 he set up Charlie Austin for the only goal of the game just 60 seconds into his Premier League debut. The story made a big splash because the opponents that day were Everton, managed by former Saints boss Ronald Koeman who claimed after the game never to have heard of Simsy. It came as no surprise to the supporters of Southampton. Since Mauricio Pochettino left in the summer of 2014 the path from academy to first team has become a difficult one to tread.

Josh Sims loan move to Reading begs serious questions about the management at St Mary's

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Towards the end of Pochettino’s reign a young flame-haired midfielder named Harrison Reed began making appearances for the first team. Pochettino was impressed and everybody thought that Saints had found another gem. That summer Pochettino left and Koeman arrived, it was OK though, Saints had a formula. Promote the kids who had learned to play in the academy, get two good years from them and if they would good enough then a move up the food chain would follow. Southampton have been much criticised for selling their better players but in a world where the whales seriously outspend the minnows, it is a sensible business model. Players live their dream. Fans get to watch exciting young footballers making their way in the game. Everybody wins and the cycle can start again.

But Harrison Reed found his pathway to the first team blocked by the signing of Jordie Clasie. Saints already had Morgan Schneiderlin and Victor Wanyama in that position, there was no need to buy Clasie and the signing not only wasted money but blocked Reed’s progress. Reed is not alone. Sam McQueen, Jake Hesketh, Sam Gallagher and Matty Targett can all justifiably feel let down by a lack of opportunity to move up. Targett in particular, outstanding on loan for Fulham last season was denied a transfer away this summer and yet seems nowhere near the first team at St Mary’s. Even James Ward-Prowse, excellent in the middle part of a dreadful 2017/18 season was suddenly dropped from the first team and now finds game time hard to come by.

Good money after bad?

Image, Boufal Image, RedmondImage, Elyounoussi

However, it is the treatment of Simsy that really makes the blood boil. Since his debut Saints have spent a combined total of £45m on Nathan Redmond, Sofiane Boufal and Mohamed Elyounoussi who all play in roughly his position. It is too early to judge Elyounoussi, having only arrived this summer, but Redmond has been disappointingly sporadic and Boufal has already gone out on loan. Meanwhile, Simsy who has impressed everyone when he plays has found his path to the first team blocked and now finds himself in the Championship for a season.

Mauricio Pochettino, the last champion of young English talent?

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Southampton are never going to win the Premier League and indeed are lucky to be playing in it this season. What the fans want to see is exciting football played by a team they can get behind. Mark Hughes is never going to provide this. He is a man lacking a plan who has largely failed wherever he has been. Pochettino meanwhile, continues to prove that giving young English players their chance in the big league can provide success and good quality football. Quite how an Argentinian became the leading promoter of young domestic talent is both a scandal and a mystery.

Of course the season is still young, perhaps Hughes will prove me wrong and make me eat my words in the coming months. But if Saints don’t get a result at home to Leicester this afternoon then the questions will only get louder and another year of struggle look ever more likely.