Southampton FC's top 10 most valuable ex-academy players right now (Ranked)

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Football League World

·14 August 2023

Southampton FC's top 10 most valuable ex-academy players right now (Ranked)

Southampton have made a promising start to life back in the Championship.

The Saints have earned four points from their opening two league fixtures, a win over Sheffield Wednesday and a 4-4 draw with Norwich City.

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Russell Martin’s side will be reasonably happy with these results as they aim for promotion straight back to the Premier League at the first attempt.

The transfer window has been a busy period for the club, with the likes of Tino Livramento and James Ward-Prowse both departing the south coast.

Roméo Lavia could follow suit after a £60 million offer was accepted by the Saints from Liverpool, with Chelsea also still interested in the Belgian.

Who are the most valuable former Southampton academy players?

Here we look at who the most valuable players to come through the Southampton academy are and what they are currently worth, with figures courtesy of Transfermarkt

10 Will Smallbone - £3 million - (€3.5 million)

Southampton midfielder Will Smallbone

Smallbone is currently still with Southampton and has started the new campaign as a key part of Martin’s plans.

The Irishman has been out on loan in the past, with injuries hampering his progress after initially coming through into the first team as a teenager.

The 23-year-old could be a key part of the club’s promotion push to the Premier League this year, should he remain at St. Mary’s.

9 Sam Gallagher - £3 million- (€3.5 million)

Gallagher spent six years with Southampton, joining the academy as a teenager after first coming through at Plymouth Argyle.

The forward departed the Saints in 2019 after making just 22 appearances for the club, scoring just once.

The forward is now with Blackburn Rovers, where he has become a regular presence in the side in the last four years.

The 27-year-old scored eight goals in the Championship last season from 34 appearances in Jon Dahl Tomasson’s side.

8 Jack Stephens - £3 million- (€3.5 million)

Stephens is another player that followed the Plymouth to Southampton academy pipeline, eventually coming through into the Saints’ first team squad under Claude Puel.

The defender featured just twice in the club’s last Premier League season, both times as a substitute, as Southampton suffered relegation to the Championship.

But Stephens’ position within the side has been strengthened under Martin, starting both league games of the current campaign.

7 Michael Obafemi - £4.3 million- (€5 million)

Obafemi emerged as a talented young forward during Southampton’s time in the Premier League.

The Irishman put his name on the map with a winner against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge during the 2019-20 season, but he was unable to consistently earn his place in the side which led to his departure.

A stint at Swansea City, coincidentally under Martin, led to him regaining his form and scoring goals in the Championship.

That earned him a move to Burnley last January, where he currently plies his trade.

6 Matt Targett - £11.2 million- (€13 million)

Targett came through the ranks at Southampton, making his first appearances for the club as a teenager.

The defender was in and out of the side, leading to a loan move to Fulham in 2017-18, where he helped the Cottagers earn promotion to the top flight.

He established himself as a regular starter for Southampton upon his return, before signing for Aston Villa in 2019.

After three years with Villa, the 27-year-old signed for Newcastle United.

5 Nathan Tella - £15.5 million- (€18 million)

Tella is still at Southampton, where he set up the team’s opening goal of the current campaign.

The winger started in both of Martin’s first two league games in charge at St. Mary’s, having returned to the club this summer after a stint on loan at Burnley.

Tella’s goals ensured the Clarets earned promotion straight back to the Premier League at the first time of asking last year under Vincent Kompany.

The 24-year-old will now be hoping to achieve the same with the Saints this year after a permanent move to Turf Moor failed to materialise.

4 Harrison Reed - £15.5 million- (€18 million)

Reed came through the academy during Mauricio Pochettino’s time in charge of the club, but he never really cemented himself as a regular starter at St. Mary’s.

The now 28-year-old enjoyed stints on loan at Norwich City, Blackburn Rovers and Fulham before joining the Cottagers on a permanent basis in 2020.

He has since gone on to make over 100 appearances for the London club, including 37 in the Premier League last season as Marco Silva’s side earned a 10th place finish.

Reed started the team’s opening fixture of the current campaign, a 1-0 win over Everton.

3 Tyrone Mings - £18.9 million- (€22 million)

Mings never broke into the first team squad at Southampton, making the move to Yate Town early in his career.

But the defender rose through the ranks of English football to make his way to the Premier League.

The centre back signed for Bournemouth in 2015, and featured in their rise to the top flight under Eddie Howe.

He has since become an integral part of Aston Villa’s side, making 140 appearances for the club.

But an injury sustained at the weekend against Howe’s Newcastle United side could see him miss a significant amount of game time this season.

2 James Ward-Prowse - £32.7 million- (€38 million)

Ward-Prowse was with his boyhood club for 20-years before joining West Ham earlier this week.

The midfielder signed for the Hammers in a deal worth a reported £30 million.

Ward-Prowse joined the club at just eight-years-of-age and was a regular presence in the side for over a decade.

His goals from set pieces earned him a reputation as one of the best free-kick takers in the world, and his absence will now be sorely felt this season as the team pushes for promotion to the top flight.