Puel should axe these 3 Southampton players in January

Maya Yoshida

Maya Yoshida has been at St Mary’s since the Saints returned to the Premier League in 2012, as then-manager Nigel Adkins looked to bolster his defensive options ahead of their top-flight campaign.

And he did just that, making 31 league starts to help Southampton to 14th in the table.

However, it’s not quite been as good for the Japan international since then.

In the three seasons following prior to 2016/17, Yoshida has made a combined 35 starts in the Premier League, and has once again fallen down the pecking order following the arrival of Virgil van Dijk.

Although he’s clearly a good squad player, the 28-year-old may feel that it’s time to leave the South Coast in a bid to seek first team football.