Southampton

Ray Hunt
Fan writer

We asked our Southampton fan contributor for their four candidates for player of the season and you can now select your top one.

Aaron Ramsdale

The biggest shock of our season was the g of Ramsdale. At £25m from Arsenal in August, it was very much against the grain under this current ownership group. Considering Saints have conceded 84 goals (and counting) he has managed to earn an England call-up. Even with a third relegation on his CV.

Mateus Fernandes

There are many misses in the market in recent years, but Fernandes isn't one of them. The 20 year-old has become an instant fan favourite with the locals for his eye-catching performances in the middle of the park. Unfortunately, following relegation consequences, he will be one of the casualties - apparently attracting interest from Juventus.

Paul Onuachu

Since arriving in February 2023, the 6ft7in Nigerian has had a handful of games and been sent out on loan for our whole Championship campaign last season. He was out of favour under Russell Martin, but started Ivan Juric's first game. Since January, when fit, he has been a solid edition to the squad and has become the club's top-scorer this season with four goals.

Tyler Dibling

Back in August, no-one envisaged the then 18-year old would have made an impact on this Premier League campaign. But that is what he has done. The most exciting player on the ball we have seen in some time. In a season full of despair, he continues to get bums off seats when driving forward. Attracting interest from all over the league, his future is bright. Unfortunately, not with Southampton.

Pick your 2024-25 Southampton player of the season from our shortlist here

And tell us why you're picking who you are, or why you'd have gone for another player not on the list, here

Find more from Ray Hunt at the In that Number podcast, external

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your views on whether Will Still would be a good appointment as the next Saints boss after the 32-year-old emerged as the favourite to take over at St Mary's.

Here are some of your comments:

Darren: I believe this will be a good appointment as long as he is allowed to clear out the deadwood the current squad is full of. He seems to be adaptable with his tactics and plays to the strengths of the players at his disposal. It would be nice to have a team with a plan B or C - something we have clearly lacked for a while now.

Mick: Still could work well for Saints at this time - we had Mauricio Pochettino for his first job in England and he did well with us and after he left. The Championship would be a good league for Still to try with our young squad.

Maximus: Will Still cannot be any worse than the previous two managers. That's not to do him any disservice, from what I've read he could be a very good appointment for Saints. My only fear is that, as with previous good managers, he uses Saints as a way to get noticed. If he performs well and gets Saints promoted, I fear larger clubs with more money may come knocking on the door. I hope he does well, and in doing so gets Saints promoted back to the Premier League and stops them being a yo-yo club.

William: Will Still is yet another risk which, if I'm honest and with Southampton FC's recent decision-making, I'm wanting to steer away from. Frank Lampard has proven himself in the Championship and, although not set the world alight in the Premier League, he's had important exposure to assist in the transition from Championship to top flight. Lampard would be my intelligent choice and a balanced decision.

Peter: We need someone to break the spiral of failure that this club has been on for far too long, so give him a try and see where it leads.

James: An exciting young manager. May be unproven but so was Pochettino when he came in. It's a step in the right direction for the club. He may have no experience in the Championship, but we need a manager who will come in and attack the league and get us back to the Premier League. I like him a lot - he's tactically very good and very well spoken.

Image source, Getty Images

In the post below, Will Still has been described as "one of the brightest young managers in Europe" and likened to a "young Thomas Tuchel".

The 32-year-old is the leading candidate to become the new Southampton boss.

Would you be happy with that as an exciting appointment? Or has someone else caught your eye? Let us know here

Image source, Getty Images

French football expert Julien Laurens believes Will Still could be great for Southampton because he can "lead a project like this".

Still, who is leaving French side Lens to move back to the UK, is the frontrunner for the Saints job.

"I think he feels ready for a challenge in the Championship for a good project or in the Premier League and it looks like Southampton could be the club. I think Southampton would be very lucky to have Will Still next season," Laurens told BBC Radio Solent.

"I think he's one of the brightest young managers in Europe - there's no doubt. His tactical ability, man-management skills he has, the way he conducts himself, the attitude and behaviour. He is a great guy to have and he's a bit stubborn - I think he would it that himself!

"But I think you need to be strong-minded to succeed in this kind of environment. I think he would be great for Southampton because he can lead a project like this.

"He reminds me sometimes of a young Thomas Tuchel, simply in the sense that they have similar pathways a little bit and Tuchel was quite big on counter-pressing like Will is. Not too much possession like Russell Martin that's for sure, it's a bit more direct at times.

"He also adapts to his players well so it will depend a lot on the squad he inherits at Southampton and he will adapt to that. He has got clear instructions and style of what he wants to do, especially in of pressing and counter-pressing."

Listen to the full interview on BBC Sounds