Over the last decade, Southampton have taken a rather lengthy tour of the football league before a speedy and remarkable rise back to the top flight and into European football, all done whilst selling top talent year-on-year.

Since 2006 the Saints have sold a remarkable amount of first team talent, whether that be players from their academy or their acclaimed scouting network.

The main beneficiaries of such generosity from the board at St. Mary’s have arguably been Liverpool, who have bought five players from the Saints since their promotion, as well as North London duo, Arsenal  and Tottenham who, in the last decade, have taken five players and a manager from the Southerners between them, at the astonishing combined cost of £166m.

Meanwhile, the Saints recruitment team have been working feverishly to replace departed players and, so far, it has been working to great effect.

Some of the stars to have moved on in years gone by have gone on to reach the very top of the game, whilst others who have left more recently are already establishing themselves as leading talents at their respective new clubs.

With all that in mind, just who have done the best out of the South Coast side? And how have their purchases fared since leaving St. Mary’s?

Liverpool

The Reds have been the biggest South Coast spenders of the lot, having splashed a stunning £98m on players from St. Mary’s in the years since their promotion. In all, Adam Lallana, Nathaniel Clyne, Rickie Lambert, Dejan Lovren and Saido Mane have made the move to Anfield.

It has become a such a theme as each season passes that Saints fans have come to expect a yearly donation from Merseyside.

The most successful Liverpool addition from Southampton is undoubtedly Adam Lallana who, in 98 appearances, has bagged himself 16 goals since the move.

The most recent mover is Senegalese winger Saido Mane, who has scored three goals so far this season, as many as Saints legend, Lambert, managed in 36 outings. The record signing of Mane meant that Liverpool have now signed every player from the South Coast side to have scored at Anfield since their return to the top flight, not the most technical scouting system, but each to their own.

Tottenham

Although they haven’t spent anywhere near the amount of cash that Liverpool have on targets from Southampton, a mere £18.5m, Spurs have arguably benefited more than any other side.

Having made his mark on the South Coast after breaking into the first team and scoring some trademark free-kicks, Gareth Bale waved goodbye to St. Mary’s and set off for White Hart Lane.

In six years at the club, the Welshman amassed over 200 appearances, scoring 56 goals, before his world record breaking move to Real Madrid.

Since Bale’s move in 2007, the North London side have also poached a highly rated manager and defensive midfielder from the Saints in Mauricio Pochettino and Victor Wanyama, respectively.

Arsenal

The Gunners where the trendsetters when it came to poaching top talent from the South Coast, when they signed a young Theo Walcott in 2006, for a fee which rose to around £12m.

As well as the England international, who settled in quickly at The Emirates – taking only around a decade to find his feet – Arsenal have brought in fellow academy graduates, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Calum Chambers, the latter of which has been shipped out to Middlesbrough on a loan deal this season.

Over the past decade, Arsene Wenger has invested £40m on talent from Southampton, and it appears he is yet to get a fair return from his investments.