At the end of the 2016/17 season, confidence was high at Southampton. A fourth successive top-10 Premier League finish had just been secured, as had a first appearance in a major final for 14 years. The club was impressing off the field too, with smart dealings in recent transfer windows seeing the likes of Virgil van Dijk and Sadio Mane join the club for what turned out to be bargain prices. But fast forward 18 months and the wheels had come off. Mauricio Pellegrino – who replaced Claude Puel in the summer of 2017 – had been sacked after less than a year in charge and replaced by Mark Hughes amid an unforeseen relegation battle. The Welshman just about kept Southampton up, but was then himself dismissed with the club once again facing up to the prospect of dropping into the Championship. Just as concerning were Southampton’s uncharacteristic failures in the transfer market. Mario Lemina, Wesley Hoedt and Guido Carrillo – signed during Pellegrino’s tenure for a combined £54m – all...