Southampton can change their own narrative with sustained Europa League run

Going through to the knockout stage of the Europa League, which Saints will do if they beat Hapoel Beer Sheva of Israel at home, would endorse the credentials of Southampton as a club going places.

Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk, centre, and teammates congratulate Jordy Clasie for a goal against Arsenal on November 30, 2016. Adrian Dennis / AFP

t around about this time of each year, Southampton supporters draw up a gloomy list.

It will have four or five names on it, players who have excelled at St Mary’s, men whose clubs, with lengthier honours lists than theirs, will cast predatory and persevering glances at in imminent transfer windows.

The drill is familiar. Liverpool have been particularly covetous in recent years. Rickie Lambert, Adam Lallana, Nathaniel Clyne and Dejan Lovren all moved there, and last summer, Sadio Mane took the same route.

They lost Victor Wanyama to Tottenham Hotspur in the most recent window, the Kenyan tracing a Saint-to-Spur path once followed by Gareth Bale.

Nurturing fine footballers, and having a reputation for that can be a burden, and Southampton bear it as heavily as any club in England’s Premier League. After Thursday, they might present to the five or six on their current staff who are bound to be offered opportunity with more elite employers another reason to consider the merits of sticking where they are.

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Going through to the knockout stage of the Europa League, which Southampton will do if they beat Hapoel Be’er Sheva of Israel at home, would endorse the credentials of Southampton as a club going places, and that if their major stars stop going to other places so regularly, they might establish themselves as a force in Europe a little faster.

There are gestures a shrewd manager like Claude Puel, who succeeded Ronald Koeman at Southampton in July, can make in the meantime to lessen the notion in a player’s mind that he is outgrowing the south coast of England.

Puel has made Virgil van Dijk, whose displays at the centre of defence have identified him as peerless among centre-halves in the Premier League so far this term, his captain for the European campaign. If Van Dijk’s central defensive partner, Jose Fonte, should move onwards and upwards next month, as is strongly suggested, the armband may be his to keep.

Van Dijk is 1.93m tall, has pace and a long stride in the chase. He can be effective in both penalty areas. He scored one of the goals in what has been Southampton’s standout triumph in the Europa League thus far, the 2-1 win over Inter Milan, the Italians who are now eliminated.

For the 25-year-old Dutchman, it was a poignant moment. He looks made for the big stages, but they have not always been happy for him.

Two seasons back, a red card against Inter in the last-32 stage of the Europa League contributed his then club, Celtic, being knocked out.

Southampton bought Van Dijk from the Scottish champions the following summer, paying a reported £12 million (Dh55.6m). He joined a club whose Europa League campaign had already stalled before the group phase.

The defender took a couple of months to adjust to English football but by the season’s end had established himself as yet another fine acquisition. Puel had been in charge two months when the French manager was telling L’Equipe: “Virgil has everything. He’s a giant physically, he has great technique and he’s intelligent. He has it all to become one of the best five defenders in the world.”

He might soon have to add that the going rate for leading central defenders is four times what Southampton paid for him.

John Stones joined Manchester City from Everton this year for a fee that could reach £50m with various add-ons.

Van Dijk made his debut for the Dutch national team in October last year and already has a dozen caps. He is now regarded as first choice for the Netherlands who seek fresh impetus after failure to reach the last European Championship.

A strong run in the Europa League can only endorse his international pedigree.

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