Editing Southampton F.C. (section)

==History==
{{Main|History of Southampton F.C.}}
{{See also|List of Southampton F.C. seasons}}

[[File:Southampton FC League Performance.svg|thumb|right|Chart of yearly table positions of Southampton in the Football League.]]

===Foundation and Southern League (1885–1920)===
Southampton were originally founded at [[St. Mary's Church, Southampton|St. Mary's Church]], on 21 November 1885 by members of the St. Mary's Church of England Young Men's Association.

St. Mary's Y.M.A., as they were usually referred to in the local press, played most of their early games on [[Southampton Common|The Common]] where games were frequently interrupted by pedestrians insistent on exercising their right to roam. More important matches, such as cup games, were played either at the [[County Ground, Southampton|County Cricket Ground]] in Northlands Road or the [[Antelope Ground|Antelope Cricket Ground]] in St Mary's Road.

The club was originally known as '''St. Mary's Young Men's Association F.C.''' (usually abbreviated to "St. Mary's Y.M.A.") and then became simply '''St. Mary's F.C.''' in [[1887–88 in English football|1887–88]], before adopting the name '''Southampton St. Mary's''' when the club joined the [[Southern Football League|Southern League]] in 1894.

For the start of their League career, Saints signed several new players on professional contracts, including [[Charles Baker (footballer)|Charles Baker]], [[Alf Littlehales]] and [[Lachie Thomson]] from [[Stoke F.C.|Stoke]] and [[Fred Hollands]] from [[Millwall F.C.|Millwall]].<ref name = "Chalk16">{{cite book | title=Saints – A complete record|last= Chalk|first= Gary|author2=Holley, Duncan | publisher= Breedon Books| year=1987| isbn= 0-907969-22-4 |pages=16–17}}</ref> After winning the Southern League title in [[1896–97 in English football|1896–97]], the club became a limited company and was renamed '''Southampton F.C.'''

Southampton won the Southern League championship for three years running between 1897 and 1899 and again in 1901, 1903 and 1904. During this time, they moved to a newly built £10,000 stadium called [[The Dell, Southampton|The Dell]], to the northwest of the city centre in 1898. Although they would spend the next 103 years there, the future was far from certain in those early days and the club had to rent the premises first before they could afford to buy the stadium in the early part of the 20th century. The club reached the first of their four [[FA Cup Final]]s in [[1900 FA Cup final|1900]]. On that day, they went down 4–0 to [[Bury F.C.|Bury]] and two years later they would suffer a similar fate at the hands of [[Sheffield United F.C.|Sheffield United]] as they were beaten 2–1 in a replay of the [[1902 FA Cup final|1902 final]]. Reaching those finals gave Southampton recognition, even internationally: in 1909, an [[Athletic Bilbao]] representative who played for affiliated team [[Atlético Madrid]] purchased 50 Saints shirts during a trip to England, which were shared between the two squads. This early Southampton connection is the reason why the colours of both Spanish clubs became red and white, as they are nowadays.<ref>{{Cite web |title=CONNECTIONS: Southampton and Athletic Club |url=https://www.southamptonfc.com/news/2016-06-23/connections-southampton-and-athletic-club |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171022032239/https://southamptonfc.com/news/2016-06-23/connections-southampton-and-athletic-club |archive-date=22 October 2017 |access-date=26 November 2019 |website=Southampton FC}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thesefootballtimes.co/2019/09/16/the-football-kit-family-tree-the-stories-behind-clubs-famous-colours/|title=The football kit family tree: the stories behind clubs' famous colours|date=16 September 2019|website=These Football Times|access-date=26 November 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://as.com/futbol/2010/01/09/mas_futbol/1263022051_850215.html|title=El Southampton sirvió de modelo cuando se imitaba al Blackburn|last=AS|first=Diario|date=9 January 2010|website=AS.com|language=es|access-date=26 November 2019}}</ref>

===Joining the Football League (1920–1966)===
{{unreferenced section|date=January 2022}}
[[File:Fußballspiel Holstein Kiel gegen den FC Southampton, 3-1 (Kiel 76.968).jpg|thumb|Friendly match at [[Holstein Kiel]], Germany, 15 May 1964]]
After [[World War I]], Southampton joined the newly formed Football League Third Division in 1920 which split into [[Football League Third Division South|South]] and [[Football League Third Division North|North]] sections a year later. The [[1921–22 in English football|1921–22 season]] ended in triumph with promotion and marked the beginning of a 31-year stay in the [[Football League Second Division|Second Division]].

The [[1922–23 in English football|1922–23 season]] was a unique "Even Season" – 14 wins, 14 draws and 14 defeats for 42 points, or one point per game. Goals for and against statistics were also equal and the team finished in mid-table.

In 1925 and 1927, they reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup, losing 2–0 and 2–1 to Sheffield United and [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]] respectively.

Southampton were briefly forced to switch home matches to the ground of their local rivals [[Portsmouth F.C.|Portsmouth]] at [[Fratton Park]] during [[World War II]] when a bomb landed on The Dell pitch in November 1940, leaving an 18-foot crater which damaged an underground culvert and flooded the pitch.<ref>{{Cite web |date=30 November 2010 |title=Southampton Blitz 70th anniversary remembered |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/hampshire/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_9241000/9241143.stm |access-date=16 August 2023 |website=BBC News}}</ref><ref name=":4" />

Promotion was narrowly missed in [[1947–48 in English football|1947–48]] when they finished in third place, a feat repeated the following [[1948–49 in English football|season]] (despite having an eight-point lead with eight games to play) whilst in [[1949–50 in English football|1949–50]] they narrowly missed out on promotion to second placed Sheffield United. In the 1948–49 and 1949–50 seasons, [[Charlie Wayman]] scored 56 goals, but relegation in [[1952–53 in English football|1953]] sent Southampton sliding back into Division 3 (South).

It took until [[1959–60 in English football|1960]] for Southampton to regain Second Division status with [[Derek Reeves]] plundering 39 of the champions' 106 league goals. On 27 April 1963, a crowd of 68,000 at [[Villa Park]] saw them lose 1–0 to [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]] in the FA Cup semi-final.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Murray |first=Scott |date=31 August 2012 |title=The Joy of Six: memorable Manchester United v Southampton matches |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2012/aug/31/joy-of-six-manchester-united-southampton |access-date=16 August 2023 |website=The Guardian}}</ref>

===Reaching the First Division and cup win (1966–1977)===
In [[1965–66 in English football|1966]], [[Ted Bates (footballer)|Ted Bates]]' team were promoted to the First Division as runners-up, with [[Martin Chivers]] scoring 30 of Saints' 85 league goals.

For the following campaign [[Ron Davies (footballer, born 1942)|Ron Davies]] arrived to score 43 goals in his first season. Saints stayed among the elite for eight years, with the highest finishing position being seventh place in 1968–69 and again in 1970–71. These finishes were high enough for them to qualify for the [[Inter-Cities Fairs Cup]] in [[1969–70 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup|1969–70]] (going out in Round 3 to [[Newcastle United F.C.|Newcastle United]]) and its successor, the [[UEFA Cup]] in [[1971–72 UEFA Cup|1971–72]], when they went out in the first round to Athletic Bilbao.

In December 1973, Bates stood down to be replaced by his assistant [[Lawrie McMenemy]]. The Saints were one of the first victims of the new three-down relegation system in [[1973–74 in English football|1974]].

Under McMenemy's management, Saints started to rebuild in the Second Division, capturing players such as [[Peter Osgood]], [[Jim McCalliog]], [[Jim Steele (footballer)|Jim Steele]] and [[Peter Rodrigues]] (captain) and in 1976, Southampton reached the [[1976 FA Cup final|FA Cup final]], playing Manchester United at [[Wembley Stadium (1923)|Wembley]], and beat much-fancied United 1–0 with a goal from [[Bobby Stokes]]. The following season, they played in Europe again in the [[1976–77 European Cup Winners' Cup|Cup Winners' Cup]], reaching Round 3 where they lost 2–3 on aggregate to [[R.S.C. Anderlecht|Anderlecht]].

===Return to First Division (1977–1992)===
In [[1977–78 in English football|1977–78]], captained by [[Alan Ball Jr.|Alan Ball]], Saints finished runners-up in the Second Division (behind [[Bolton Wanderers F.C.|Bolton Wanderers]]) and returned to the First Division. They finished comfortably in 14th place in their first season back in the top flight. The following season they returned to Wembley in the final of the [[Football League Cup|League Cup]] where they acquitted themselves well, losing 3–2 to [[Nottingham Forest F.C.|Nottingham Forest]].

In 1980, McMenemy made his biggest signing, capturing the [[European Footballer of the Year]] [[Kevin Keegan]]. Although Keegan's Southampton career only lasted two years, Saints fielded an attractive side also containing Alan Ball, prolific goal-scorer Ted MacDougall, (who still holds the record for the largest number of goals in an FA Cup game&nbsp;– nine&nbsp;– for Bournemouth against Margate in an 11–0 win), MacDougall's strike partner at Bournemouth and [[Norwich City F.C.|Norwich City]], [[Phil Boyer]], club stalwart [[Mick Channon]] and [[Charlie George]] and in [[1980–81 in English football|1980–81]] they scored 76 goals, finishing in sixth place, then their highest league finish. The following season, Kevin Keegan helped lift the club to the top of the First Division. Southampton led the league for over two months, taking top spot on 30 January 1982 and staying there (apart from one week) until 3 April 1982. But in a disappointing end to the season, in which Keegan was hampered by a back injury, Southampton won only two of their last nine games and finished seventh. The winners of a wide-open title race were Keegan's old club [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]], who were crowned champions on the final day of the season. Keegan scored 26 of Southampton's 72 goals that season, but was then sold to Newcastle.

Southampton continued to progress under McMenemy's stewardship, and with a team containing [[Peter Shilton]] (the [[England national football team|England]] goalkeeper), [[Nick Holmes (footballer)|Nick Holmes]], [[David Armstrong (English footballer)|David Armstrong]], striker [[Steve Moran]] and quick winger [[Danny Wallace (footballer)|Danny Wallace]] reached their highest ever league finish as runners-up in [[1983–84 in English football|1983–84]]<ref name="Second">{{cite news |last=Struthers |first=Greg |title=Caught in Time: Southampton finish runners-up in the First Division, 1984 |work=The Times |location=London |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/article732419.ece |access-date=4 January 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604115652/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/article732419.ece |archive-date=4 June 2011}}</ref> (three points behind the champions Liverpool) as well as reaching the semi-final of the FA Cup losing 1–0 to [[Everton F.C.|Everton]] at [[Highbury Stadium|Highbury]]. McMenemy then added experienced midfielder [[Jimmy Case]] to his ranks.

They finished fifth the following year, but as a result of the [[Heysel Stadium disaster|Heysel Disaster]] all English clubs were banned from European competition: had it not been for this, then Southampton would have again qualified for the [[UEFA Europa League|UEFA Cup]].

McMenemy left at the end of the 1984–85 season to be succeeded by [[Chris Nicholl]], who was sacked after six years in charge despite preserving the club's top flight status. He was replaced by [[Ian Branfoot]], who until the end of the 1990–91 season had been assistant manager to [[Steve Coppell]] at [[Crystal Palace F.C.|Crystal Palace]]. By this stage, a key player in the Southampton line-up was [[Guernsey]]-born attacking midfielder/striker [[Matt Le Tissier|Matthew Le Tissier]], who broke into the first team in the [[1986–87 in English football|1986–87 season]]. He was voted [[PFA Young Player of the Year]] in 1990 and later made eight appearances for the England team&nbsp;– he finally retired in 2002 at the age of 33. Another exciting young player to break into the Southampton team just after Le Tissier was [[Alan Shearer]], who at the age of 17 scored a hat-trick against Arsenal in a league match in April 1988. Shearer was a first team regular by 1990, and stayed with Southampton until July 1992, when he was sold to [[Blackburn Rovers F.C.|Blackburn Rovers]] for a national record of more than £3&nbsp;million. He then became the most expensive footballer in the world when Blackburn sold him to Newcastle for £15&nbsp;million in 1996. He also scored 30 times for England internationally.

===Southampton in the Premier League (1992–2005)===
Southampton were founding members of the [[Premier League]] in 1992–93, but spent most of the next ten seasons struggling against relegation. In [[1995–96 Southampton F.C. season|1995–96]], Southampton finished 17th with 38 league points, avoiding relegation on goal difference. Two important wins during the final weeks of the season did much to ensure that Saints and not [[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]] would achieve Premiership survival. First came a 3–1 home win over eventual double winners [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]], then came a 1–0 away win over relegated Bolton Wanderers. Former Liverpool and [[Rangers F.C.|Rangers]] manager [[Graeme Souness]], was brought in, signing foreign players such as [[Egil Østenstad]] and [[Eyal Berkovic]]. The highlight of the season was a 6–3 win over Manchester United at The Dell in October, when both his signings scored twice. Souness resigned after just one season in charge, being replaced by [[Dave Jones (footballer, born 1956)|Dave Jones]] who had won promotion to Division One with [[Stockport County F.C.|Stockport County]] as well as reaching the League Cup semi-finals.

In [[1998–99 Southampton F.C. season|1998–99]], they were rooted to the bottom of the table for much of the first half of the season but again avoided relegation on the last day of the season after a late run of good results, helped by the intervention of Latvian [[Marians Pahars|Marian Pahars]] and old hero Le Tissier (The so-called "Great Escape"). In 1999, Southampton were given the go-ahead to build a new 32,000-seat stadium in the St Mary's area of the city, having been playing in the Dell since 1898. The stadium had been converted to an all-seater format earlier in the decade, but had a capacity of less than 16,000 and was unsuitable for further expansion.

During the [[1999–2000 Southampton F.C. season|1999–2000 season]], Dave Jones quit as Southampton manager to concentrate on a court case after he was accused of abusing children at the children's home where he had worked during the 1980s. The accusations were later proved to be groundless, but it was too late to save Jones' career as Southampton manager and he was succeeded by ex-England manager [[Glenn Hoddle]]. Hoddle helped keep Southampton well clear of the Premier League drop zone but having received an offer he moved to [[Tottenham Hotspur F.C.|Tottenham Hotspur]] just before the end of the [[2000–01 Southampton F.C. season|2000–01 season]]. He was replaced by first-team coach [[Stuart Gray (footballer, born 1960)|Stuart Gray]], who oversaw the relocation to the St Mary's Stadium for the 2001–02 season. At the end of the 2000–01 season, in the last competitive match at The Dell, Matthew Le Tissier came on late to score the last ever league goal at the old stadium with a half volley on the turn in a 3–2 win against Arsenal. Gray was sacked after a poor start to the following season, and he was replaced by ex-[[Coventry City F.C.|Coventry City]] manager [[Gordon Strachan]], who steered Southampton to safety and a secure 11th-place finish.

In [[2002–03 Southampton F.C. season|2002–03]], Southampton finished eighth in the league and finished [[2003 FA Cup final|runners-up in the FA Cup]] to Arsenal (after losing 1–0 at the [[Millennium Stadium]]), thanks in no small part to the metamorphosis of [[James Beattie (footballer)|James Beattie]], who fired home 24 goals, 23 in the league. Strachan resigned in March 2004 and within eight months, two managers – [[Paul Sturrock]] and [[Steve Wigley]] – had come and gone. Chairman [[Rupert Lowe]] risked the ire of Saints fans when he appointed [[Harry Redknapp]] as manager on 8 December 2004, just after his resignation at [[South Coast of England|South Coast]] rivals Portsmouth.<ref>{{cite news|title=Saints name Redknapp as boss|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/4077461.stm |work=BBC Sport|date=8 December 2004|access-date=30 October 2013}}</ref> He brought in a number of new signings, including his son [[Jamie Redknapp|Jamie]] in the attempt to survive relegation. Southampton were relegated from the Premier League on the last day of the season, ending 27 successive seasons of top flight football for the club. Their relegation was ironically confirmed by a 2–1 home defeat to Manchester United, who had been on the receiving end of many upsets by Southampton over the years, namely in the 1976 FA Cup final and since then on a number of occasions in the league, as well as inflicting a heavy defeat on them in a November 1986 League Cup tie which cost United manager [[Ron Atkinson]] his job.<ref name="BBC Sport">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_prem/4525113.stm|title=Southampton 1 – 2 Man Utd|work=BBC Sport|access-date=19 August 2013|date=15 May 2005}}</ref>

Lowe and Southampton continued to make headlines after former [[England national rugby union team|England]] Rugby World Cup-winning coach [[Clive Woodward|Sir Clive Woodward]] joined the club—eventually being appointed technical director in June 2005.<ref>{{cite news|title=Southampton confirm Woodward move|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/4121186.stm|date=22 June 2005|access-date=30 October 2013|work=BBC Sport|publisher=BBC}}</ref>

===Outside the top flight (2005–2012)===
[[File:Before the Kick-off - geograph.org.uk - 431355.jpg|thumb|right|Southampton players form a huddle before kicking off against Derby in 2007]]
In November 2005, manager Harry Redknapp resigned to rejoin Portsmouth, and was replaced by [[George Burley]]. Rupert Lowe resigned as chairman in June 2006, and Jersey-based businessman [[Michael Wilde]], who had become the club's major shareholder assumed the post. Following a club record £6&nbsp;million being spent on transfers, Polish strikers [[Grzegorz Rasiak]] and [[Marek Saganowski]] performed well and the season saw the introduction of 17-year-old [[Defender (association football)#Full-back|left-back]] [[Gareth Bale]]. Southampton finished in sixth place and lost the play-off semi-final to Derby County on penalties.

The board sought new investment in the club, and in February 2007, Wilde stepped down as chairman to be replaced by local businessman [[Leon Crouch]] as "Acting chairman", a role Crouch retained until 21 July 2007. In the [[2007–08 Southampton F.C. season|2007–08 season]], George Burley said that players such as Bale and [[Kenwyne Jones]] had to be sold to stop the club going into administration and that failing to achieve promotion had put the club in serious financial difficulty.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2007-08-14 |title=Burley in Saints sales admission |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/s/southampton/6945763.stm |access-date=2024-11-14 |language=en-GB}}</ref> Burley left the club in January 2008 to take over as [[Scotland national football team|Scotland]] manager and was replaced by [[Nigel Pearson]] who saved the club from relegation on the final day.

In July 2008, all the board members except one resigned, allowing Lowe and Wilde to return: Wilde as chairman of Southampton FC and Rupert Lowe as chairman of Southampton Leisure Holdings plc. Although Pearson kept the team up, the board did not renew his contract due to financial constraints, and the relatively unknown Dutchman [[Jan Poortvliet]] was appointed manager. Financial troubles continued to mount, resulting in more players being sold or loaned out and parts of St Mary's were closed off to reduce costs. In January 2009, Poortvliet resigned with the club one place from bottom of the Championship, with [[Mark Wotte]] taking over managerial duties.<ref name="Poortvliet resigns">{{cite news|title=Poortvliet resigns as Saints boss|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/7848414.stm|work=BBC Sport  |access-date=30 October 2013|date=23 January 2009}}</ref><ref name="Wotte">{{cite web |url=http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/articles/article.php?page_id=11263 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090217225957/http://saintsfc.co.uk/articles/article.php?page_id=11263 |archive-date=17 February 2009 |title=Chairman's statement |publisher= Saintsfc.co.uk|date=24 January 2009 |access-date=30 October 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/4073293.Chairman_speaks_about_Jan's_departure/ |title=Chairman speaks about Jan's departure |newspaper=Daily Echo |date=24 January 2009|access-date=30 October 2013}}</ref>

In April 2009, Southampton's parent company was placed in [[Administration (British football)|administration]]. A 10-point penalty was imposed, but as the team was already being relegated due to finishing second from bottom of the [[Football League Championship]] this points deduction had to apply to the 2009–10 season. By the end of May, the club was unable to meet its staff wages and asked employees to work unpaid as a gesture of goodwill. The administrator warned that the club faced imminent bankruptcy unless a buyer was found.<ref>{{cite news |date=28 May 2009 |title=Southampton fails to pay wages |work=[[Zee News]] |url=https://zeenews.india.com/sports/football/southampton-fails-to-pay-wages_535015.html |access-date=28 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200724073806/https://zeenews.india.com/sports/football/southampton-fails-to-pay-wages_535015.html |archive-date=24 July 2020}}</ref> In June, administrator Mark Fry confirmed negotiations with two groups of investors, followed by confirmation that the club had been sold to an overseas buyer "owned and controlled by [[Markus Liebherr]]".<ref name = "Hooray">{{cite news|url=http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/4481187.Swiss_Saints_deal_completed/|title=Swiss Saints deal completed|date=8 July 2009|work=Southern Daily Echo|access-date=27 February 2010}}</ref> Italian businessman [[Nicola Cortese]] was brought in by Liebherr to look after the club's business interests on his behalf. In July 2009, with the club in the control of the new owner, Wotte was sacked as head coach and [[Alan Pardew]] was appointed as the new first team manager.<ref>{{cite news|title=Southampton appoint Alan Pardew as new manager|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/southampton/5849983/Southampton-appoint-Alan-Pardew-as-new-manager.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/southampton/5849983/Southampton-appoint-Alan-Pardew-as-new-manager.html |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=19 August 2013|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|date=17 July 2009}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The Saints made their first big signing under Liebherr, striker [[Rickie Lambert]], who was purchased on 10 August from League One side [[Bristol Rovers F.C.|Bristol Rovers]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Bristol Rovers striker Rickie Lambert seals £1m move to Southampton|url=http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/Bristol-Rovers-striker-Rickie-Lambert-seals-1m-Southampton/story-11246413-detail/story.html|work=Bristol Post|date=10 August 2009|access-date=30 October 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141021035122/http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/Bristol-Rovers-striker-Rickie-Lambert-seals-1m-Southampton/story-11246413-detail/story.html|archive-date=21 October 2014}}</ref>

Southampton started the 2009–10 season in League One, in the third tier of English football for the first time in 50 years and with −10 points. In March 2010, Southampton won their first trophy since 1976 when they defeated [[Carlisle United F.C.|Carlisle United]] 4–1 at [[Wembley Stadium|Wembley]] to claim the [[2010 Football League Trophy final|Football League Trophy]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/8583783.stm|title= Carlisle 1&nbsp;– 4 Southampton|last=Shemilt|first=Stephan|date=28 March 2010|work=BBC Sport|access-date=29 March 2010}}</ref> Southampton finished the season in seventh place, seven points from the last play-off position.

A new home shirt was unveiled on 10 June 2010, in celebration of the club's 125th anniversary. The design was based on the original St. Mary's Y.M.A. kit used in 1885; it featured the new anniversary crest and was without a sponsor's logo.<ref name="echo_01">{{cite web|url=http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/saints/news/8213663.New_kit_unveiled_by_Saints/ |title=Southampton return to roots with new home kit |access-date=18 June 2010 |publisher=Newsquest Media Group |work=Southern Daily Echo |author=Dan Kerins |date=June 2010}}</ref> On 11 August, it was announced that Liebherr had died; however, the club's future had been assured and planned for before his death.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10280~2119026,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120616093727/http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10280~2119026,00.html |archive-date=16 June 2012 |title=Markus Liebherr of Southampton Football Club |publisher= Southampton FC|date=13 August 2010 |access-date=30 October 2013}}</ref><ref name="statement2013">{{cite news |date=18 May 2013 |title=Club Statement: Club owner back's Chairman's ambitious plans |publisher=Southampton F.C. |url=http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/news/article/club-statement-827051.aspx |access-date=18 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130608012634/http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/news/article/club-statement-827051.aspx |archive-date=8 June 2013}}</ref> Pardew was dismissed in August and [[Nigel Adkins]] joined from [[Scunthorpe United F.C.|Scunthorpe United]] as his replacement.<ref name="Adkins">{{cite web |url=http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10280~2152032,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120317003820/http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10280~2152032,00.html |archive-date=17 March 2012 |title=New First Team Manager Appointed |publisher= Southampton FC|date=12 September 2010 |access-date=30 October 2013}}</ref> The club was promoted to the Championship in May 2011 as runners-up to Brighton & Hove Albion.

Returning to the Championship for the 2011–12 season, Southampton made their best start to a season for 75 years with a winning run at St. Mary's of 13 league games, setting a new club record and going top of the league. In April 2012, Southampton achieved promotion to the Premier League as runners-up to [[Reading F.C.|Reading]]. The final game of the season set a record attendance at St Mary's Stadium of 32,363. Lambert finished the season as the Championship's top goalscorer with 27 league goals, his third "Golden Boot" in four seasons. He also won the ''Championship Player of the Year'' award. As a result, they became the second team within a year to achieve back-to-back promotions, a feat that [[Norwich City F.C.|Norwich City]] had achieved one year before.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ronay |first=Barney |date=2011-05-02 |title=Paul Lambert hails 'absolute miracle' of Norwich City's promotion |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2011/may/03/paul-lambert-norwich-city-promotion |access-date=2024-05-04 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref name="28aprbbc">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17795679 |title=Southampton 4–0 Coventry |publisher=[[BBC]] |date=28 April 2012 |access-date=28 April 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-04-28 |title=The Greatest Season: Relive Saints' 2011/12 promotion with the players and coaches who made it possible |url=https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/20098704.gsjj/ |access-date=2024-05-04 |website=Daily Echo |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Nakrani |first=Sachin |date=2012-04-28 |title=Southampton promoted after Sharp and Fonte lead thumping of Coventry |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2012/apr/28/southampton-coventry-city-championship |access-date=2024-05-04 |work=The Observer |language=en-GB |issn=0029-7712}}</ref>

===Return to the Premier League and relegation (2012–2023)===
Southampton returned to the Premier League for season 2012–13 initially under Nigel Adkins. Substantial sums were spent to strengthen the playing squad, but early in the season, Adkins was replaced by Argentine coach [[Mauricio Pochettino]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/news/article/new-first-team-manager-appointed-606668.aspx |title=New First Team Manager Appointed |publisher=Southampton F.C. |date=18 January 2013 |access-date=18 January 2013 |archive-date=20 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120234651/http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/news/article/new-first-team-manager-appointed-606668.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/21079956 |title=Adkins sacked as Southampton boss |work=[[BBC Sport]] |date=18 January 2013 |access-date=18 January 2013 }}</ref> Southampton finished the season in 14th place, and [[2013–14 Premier League|next season]] in eighth.

[[File:Ronald Koeman Southampton v West Ham August 2014.jpg|thumb|[[Ronald Koeman]] (front left) as manager]]
At the end of the [[2013–14 Southampton F.C. season|2013–14 season]], Pochettino departed the club for Tottenham. The club subsequently appointed [[Ronald Koeman]] as his replacement on a three-year contract, and made several high-profile sales over the summer.<ref name="lambert">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/27629474 |title=Rickie Lambert completes transfer to Liverpool from Southampton |last=Smith |first=Ben |work=[[BBC Sport]] |date=2 June 2014 |access-date=2 June 2014 }}</ref><ref name="lallana">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/27647888 |title=Adam Lallana: Liverpool sign Southampton captain for £25m |work=[[BBC Sport]] |date=1 July 2014 |access-date=1 July 2014 }}</ref><ref name="lovren">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/28492306 |title=Liverpool sign Dejan Lovren from Southampton for £20m |work=[[BBC Sport]] |date=27 July 2014 |access-date=27 July 2014 }}</ref><ref name="shaw">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/28048866 |title=Luke Shaw: Man Utd sign Southampton defender for £27m |work=[[BBC Sport]] |date=27 June 2014 |access-date=27 June 2014 }}</ref><ref name="chambers">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/28497920 |title=Calum Chambers: Arsenal complete £16m signing of Southampton defender |work=[[BBC Sport]] |date=28 July 2014 |access-date=28 July 2014 }}</ref> In the final game of the [[2014–15 Southampton F.C. season|2014–15 season]], a 6–1 victory against [[Aston Villa F.C.|Aston Villa]], [[Sadio Mané]] scored three goals in the space of 176 seconds, the fastest hat-trick in the history of the Premier League.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/32764627|title=Sadio Mane: Southampton winger's hat-trick is 'best moment'|newspaper=BBC Sport|date=16 May 2015}}</ref> The club finished seventh, then their highest ever Premier League rank,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/29580147|title=Southampton 8–0 Sunderland|author=Reddy, Luke|work=BBC Sport}}</ref><ref name="premierleague.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.premierleague.com/en-gb/matchday/league-table.html|title=Barclays Premier League table, current & previous standings|work=premierleague.com|access-date=24 May 2015|archive-date=16 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160516065708/http://www.premierleague.com/en-gb/matchday/league-table.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> therefore qualifying for the [[2015–16 UEFA Europa League]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Southampton vs. Vitesse – Football Match Report – July 30, 2015 – ESPN |url=https://www.espn.com/soccer/report/_/gameId/430593 |access-date=2022-12-12 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}}</ref> After defeating [[SBV Vitesse|Vitesse]], the Saints were eliminated in the play-off by [[FC Midtjylland|Midtjylland]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/history/clubs/52923--southampton/|title=UEFA Europa League – Southampton|work=[[UEFA]]}}</ref> The following season, Southampton once again set new records for the club at the end of the season, finishing in sixth place. They once again qualified for the Europa League, although this time immediately entered the group stages, as opposed to the play-off rounds.

In June 2016, Koeman left Southampton to join Everton and [[Claude Puel]] replaced him on a three-year contract. The club were eliminated in the group stage of the Europa League by away goals to [[Hapoel Be'er Sheva F.C.]], despite having a superior goal difference. However, they were more successful in the [[2016–17 EFL Cup|EFL Cup]], where they lost 3–2 in the [[2017 EFL Cup final|final]] to Manchester United, where [[Manolo Gabbiadini]] was denied a hat-trick, courtesy of an incorrect offside decision<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hackett |first=Keith |date=2017-02-26 |title=League Cup final offside error will haunt Stuart Burt – and possibly Southampton – for eternity |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2017/02/26/league-cup-final-offside-error-will-haunt-stuart-burt-possibly/ |access-date=2025-04-24 |work=The Telegraph |language=en-GB |issn=0307-1235}}</ref>.The club ended the 2016–17 season in eighth. During the summer, Puel was replaced as manager by Argentine coach [[Mauricio Pellegrino]], previously of [[Deportivo Alavés|Alavés]]. 

Southampton became involved in the [[United Kingdom football sexual abuse scandal]] in December 2016 when several former Southampton teenage trainees told the BBC about inappropriate incidents in the 1980s involving a former football coach who was later revealed to be Bob Higgins.<ref name="Vardy-1Dec2016">{{cite news |last1=Vardy |first1=Emma |date=1 December 2016 |title=Ex-Southampton footballers describe abuse at club |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-38128841 |access-date=2 December 2016 |work=BBC News |publisher=BBC}}</ref><ref name="BBC-QPR-06Dec2016">{{cite news |date=6 December 2016 |title=Ex-QPR employee Chris Gieler named in abuse inquiry |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38221613 |access-date=6 December 2016 |work=BBC News |publisher=BBC}}</ref><ref name="BBC-Soton-03Dec2016">{{cite news |date=3 December 2016 |title=Southampton 'abuser' still working in football |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38191644 |access-date=3 December 2016 |work=BBC News |agency=BBC}}</ref><ref name="Morris-04Dec2016">{{cite news |last1=Morris |first1=Steven |date=4 December 2016 |title=Southampton FC trainer named in connection with abuse allegations |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/dec/04/southampton-fc-trainer-named-in-connection-with-abuse-allegations |access-date=4 December 2016 |work=The Guardian}}</ref><ref name="BBCHiggins-04Dec2016">{{cite news |title=Ex-Southampton football coach accused of abuse 'not vetted' |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38200993 |access-date=5 December 2016 |work=BBC News |publisher=BBC}}</ref><ref name="Evans-04Dec2016">{{cite news |last1=Evans |first1=Martin |date=4 December 2016 |title=Southampton coach sacked over child abuse allegations is still working in football |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/12/04/southampton-coach-sacked-child-abuse-allegations-still-working/ |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/12/04/southampton-coach-sacked-child-abuse-allegations-still-working/ |archive-date=10 January 2022 |access-date=5 December 2016 |work=Telegraph}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Higgins was dismissed by Southampton in 1989 after the allegations were made against him,<ref name="Morris-04Dec2016" /> and in 1991 he was charged with six counts of indecent assault against young boys he had been coaching; at the trial at [[Southampton Crown Court]] he was acquitted on the direction of the judge<ref name="BBCHiggins-04Dec2016" /> when the prosecution offered no evidence.<ref name="Morris-04Dec2016" /><ref name="Evans-04Dec2016" /> Higgins then worked as a youth coach at [[Peterborough United F.C.|Peterborough United]] in the mid-1990s,<ref name="Fisher-05Dec2016">{{cite news |last1=Fisher |first1=Paul |date=5 December 2016 |title=Ex-Peterborough United youth manager Bob Higgins named by police in football abuse investigation |url=http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/news/crime/ex-peterborough-united-youth-manager-bob-higgins-named-by-police-in-football-abuse-investigation-1-7713396 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220101354/http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/news/crime/ex-peterborough-united-youth-manager-bob-higgins-named-by-police-in-football-abuse-investigation-1-7713396 |archive-date=20 December 2016 |access-date=5 December 2016 |work=Peterborough Telegraph}}</ref><ref name="James/Morris-05Dec2016">{{cite news |last1=James |first1=Stuart |last2=Morris |first2=Steven |date=5 December 2016 |title=Football League warned all its clubs about Bob Higgins in 1989 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/dec/05/football-league-warned-all-its-clubs-about-bob-higgins-in-1989 |access-date=5 December 2016 |work=The Guardian}}</ref> and was investigated as part of a 1997 Channel 4 ''Dispatches'' investigation.<ref name="James/Morris-05Dec2016" /> After two further court cases, Higgins was found guilty in 2019 of indecent assault, at [[Bournemouth Crown Court]],<ref name="HantsConst">{{cite news |date=5 July 2017 |title=Man charged in connection with non-recent child abuse offences |url=https://www.hampshire.police.uk/news/general/man-charged-connection-non-recent-child-abuse-offences/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170818215414/https://www.hampshire.police.uk/news/general/man-charged-connection-non-recent-child-abuse-offences/ |archive-date=18 August 2017 |access-date=5 July 2017 |work=Hampshire Constabulary}}</ref><ref name="Taylor-5Jul2017">{{cite news |last1=Taylor |first1=Daniel |date=5 July 2017 |title=Bob Higgins, former Southampton coach, charged with 65 counts of child sexual abuse |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/jul/05/bob-higgins-charged-child-sexual-abuse-southampton-coach |access-date=5 July 2017 |work=The Guardian}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=23 July 2018 |title=Bob Higgins trial: Ex-football coach guilty of sex assault charge |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-44688435 |access-date=23 July 2018 |publisher=BBC}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=26 March 2019 |title=Football coach Bob Higgins 'abused trainees' |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-47669272 |access-date=26 March 2019 |publisher=BBC News}}</ref><ref name="Morris-23May2019">{{cite news |last1=Morris |first1=Steven |date=23 May 2019 |title=Football coach Bob Higgins guilty of 45 counts of indecent assault |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/may/23/football-coach-bob-higgins-guilty-of-45-counts-of-indecent-assault |access-date=23 May 2019 |work=Guardian}}</ref> and sentenced to 24 years in prison.<ref name="BBC-12Jun2019">{{cite news |date=12 June 2019 |title=Football coach Bob Higgins jailed for24 years for abusing trainees |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-48608863 |access-date=12 June 2019 |work=BBC News |publisher=BBC}}</ref>

In mid-season, the club sold Dutch defender [[Virgil van Dijk]] to Liverpool for an estimated £75 million, Southampton's record sale and a world record for his position.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Brown|first1=Luke|title=Liverpool to sign Virgil van Dijk from Southampton in world-record £75m January transfer|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/transfers/liverpool-sign-virgil-van-dijk-transfer-southampton-70m-75m-fee-agreed-done-deal-a8130566.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220524/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/transfers/liverpool-sign-virgil-van-dijk-transfer-southampton-70m-75m-fee-agreed-done-deal-a8130566.html |archive-date=24 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=5 January 2018|work=The Independent|date=27 December 2017}}</ref> Pellegrino was sacked in March 2018 with the team one point above the relegation zone,<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11700/11287680/southampton-sack-manager-mauricio-pellegrino|title=Southampton sack manager Mauricio Pellegrino|work=Sky Sports|access-date=12 March 2018|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/43364304|work=[[BBC Sport]]|title=Mauricio Pellegrino: Southampton sack manager with eight games left of season|date=12 March 2018|access-date=12 March 2018}}</ref> and his replacement, former player, [[Mark Hughes]], guided the club to a 17th-place finish, avoiding relegation on the last day of the season.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/44020180|title=Southampton 0–1 Manchester City|date=13 May 2018|work=BBC Sport|access-date=1 June 2018|language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/44020155|title=Swansea City 1–2 Stoke City|date=13 May 2018|work=BBC Sport|access-date=1 June 2018|language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/43353971|title=Swansea City 0–1 Southampton|date=8 May 2018|work=BBC Sport|access-date=1 June 2018|language=en-GB}}</ref> Hughes signed a new contract at the end of the season but a poor start to the following season led to him being sacked in December with the team in 18th place.<ref>{{cite news |title=Mark Hughes: Southampton sack manager after eight months in charge |work=BBC Sport |date=3 December 2018 |access-date=3 December 2018 |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/46091577}}</ref> He was replaced with former [[RB Leipzig]] boss [[Ralph Hasenhüttl]], who steered the club away from relegation to finish 16th.<ref>{{cite news |title=Ralph Hasenhuttl: Southampton name former RB Leipzig boss as new manager |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/46437457 |work=BBC Sport |access-date=5 December 2018 |date=5 December 2018}}</ref>

In August 2017, Southampton Football Club confirmed that the Chinese businessman Gao Jisheng had completed a multimillion-pound takeover of the club, acquiring an 80% stake for around £210m after successfully passing the relevant checks, including the Premier League's owners and directors test. The deal followed more than 12 months of talks between the Gao family and the south coast club. The investment was made personally by Gao and his daughter Nelly as opposed to being sanctioned through Lander Sports, as originally mooted. Hangzhou-based Lander is the family's business arm, which develops, constructs and manages sports sites.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/aug/14/southampton-sell-80-stake-to-chinese-businessman-gao-jisheng|title=Southampton sell 80% stake to Chinese businessman Gao Jisheng|date=14 August 2017|work=The Guardian}}</ref>

Southampton suffered their worst ever defeat on 25 October 2019, losing [[Southampton F.C. 0–9 Leicester City F.C.|9–0]] to [[Leicester City F.C.|Leicester City]] at home, this would later be replicated on [[Manchester United F.C. 9-0 Southampton F.C.|2 February 2021 against Manchester United at Old Trafford]] in the following campaign, albeit under different circumstances. It is tied with [[Ipswich Town F.C.|Ipswich Town]]'s defeat by [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]] in 1995 as the biggest defeat since the Premier League's inception.<ref name="BBC Sts v Leic">{{cite web |last1=Sutcliffe |first1=Steve |title=Southampton 0 Leicester City 9 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/50092694 |work=BBC Sport |access-date=26 October 2019 |date=25 October 2019}}</ref> Following universal backlash toward the team's performance, the players and coaching staff refused their wages from the match and instead donated them to the Saints Foundation.<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/oct/28/southampton-players-donate-wages-to-charity-after-leicester-mauling |title = Southampton players donate wages to charity after 9–0 mauling by Leicester|newspaper = The Guardian|date = 28 October 2019}}</ref> On 9 April 2020, Southampton became the first Premier League club to defer players' salaries,<ref>{{cite news|title=Coronavirus: Southampton first Premier League club to announce players to defer salaries|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/52228542|date=9 April 2020|work=BBC Sport|access-date=9 April 2020}}</ref> during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]. Despite a poor start that saw them in the relegation zone as late as November, Southampton improved greatly as the season went on, ending the year with a seven-game unbeaten streak to finish 11th in the league. Their final tally of 52 points was the team's highest total since 2015–16.

The club's good run continued in the 2020–21 season with the Saints sitting in third after 13 games.<ref>{{Cite news|last=McNulty|first=Phil|date=24 May 2021|title=Premier League 2020–21: Who impressed and who fell short?|work=BBC Sport|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/57143846|access-date=16 June 2021}}</ref> The team also had a successful run in the FA Cup where they reached the semi-finals, losing to eventual winners Leicester City.<ref>{{cite news|last1=McNulty|first1=Phil|date=18 April 2021|title=Leicester City 1–0 Southampton|work=BBC Sport|publisher=|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/56725449|access-date=16 June 2021}}</ref> In November, Southampton briefly led the Premier League table. However, despite the outstanding start to the season, a mid-season loss of form and an accumulation of injuries which decimated the senior squad ranks, due in part to the unavailability of much of the club's training facilities resulting from the restrictions imposed during the second [[COVID-19 lockdowns|lockdown]] in England. As a consequence of this, Hasenhüttl was forced to field many of the club's youth players in an attempt to fill in the gaps in his senior squad. After an impressive run during the first half of the season, Southampton would eventually finish in 15th place.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Standings Premier League 2020–2021 – Football |url=https://www.eurosport.com/football/premier-league/2020-2021/standing.shtml |access-date=2022-05-16 |website=Eurosport |language=en}}</ref> In January 2022, Gao sold his 80% stake to [[Sport Republic]], a group financed by Serbian [[Dragan Šolak (Businessman)|Dragan Šolak]] for £100m.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.skysports.com/football/news/12040/12508912/southampton-takeover-serbian-born-businessman-dragan-solak-buys-club-in-100m-deal|title=Southampton takeover: Serbian-born businessman Dragan Solak buys club in £100m deal|work=Sky Sports}}</ref> Despite most pundits predicting them to be relegated at the start of the season, Southampton finished the 2021–22 season in 15th place for the second consecutive year.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Premier League Table, Form Guide & Season Archives |url=https://www.premierleague.com/tables?co=1&se=418&ha=-1 |access-date=28 May 2022 |website=Premier League}}</ref>

In November 2022, it was announced Southampton had parted company with manager Ralph Hasenhüttl after four years,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Club statement: Ralph Hasenhüttl |url=https://www.southamptonfc.com/news/2022-11-07/southampton-football-club-part-company-with-ralph-hasenhuttl-statement |access-date=2022-11-07 |website=Southampton FC |date=7 November 2022 |language=en}}</ref> to be replaced by [[Nathan Jones (Welsh footballer)|Nathan Jones]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=10 November 2022 |title=Nathan Jones appointed manager of Southampton |url=https://www.southamptonfc.com/news/2022-11-10/announcement-nathan-jones-appointed-southampton-football-club-manager |access-date=10 November 2022 |website=Southampton FC}}</ref> On 12 February 2023, Jones was sacked following a disappointing run of results during which the Saints lost seven out of eight league matches, leaving them bottom of the Premier League table.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Club statement: Nathan Jones |url=https://www.southamptonfc.com/news/2023-02-12/southampton-football-club-nathan-jones-part-company-statement |access-date=2023-02-12 |website=Southampton FC |date=12 February 2023 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-02-11 |title=Southampton sack Jones reaction before Leeds v Man Utd |language=en-GB |work=BBC Sport |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/live/football/63890764 |access-date=2023-02-12}}</ref> After having served as caretaker manager in a 1–0 victory over [[Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea]], [[Rubén Sellés]], who had joined Southampton as first-team lead coach in June 2022, was announced as Jones's replacement on 24 February on a contract until the end of the [[2022–23 Southampton F.C. season|2022–23 season]].<ref>{{Cite news |title=Southampton win heaps misery on Potter's Chelsea |language=en-GB |work=BBC Sport |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/64607244 |access-date=2023-02-24}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Sellés joins as First Team Lead Coach |url=https://www.southamptonfc.com/news/2022-06-10/announcement-ruben-selles-first-team-lead-coach-southampton-football-club-10-june-2022 |access-date=2023-02-24 |website=Southampton FC |date=10 June 2022 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Sellés appointed to end of season |url=https://www.southamptonfc.com/news/2023-02-24/ruben-selles-mens-first-team-manager-announcement |access-date=2023-02-24 |website=Southampton FC |date=24 February 2023 |language=en}}</ref> Sellés was unable to save the Saints' season, and the team were effectively relegated on 13 May, following a 2–0 home loss to [[Fulham F.C.|Fulham]].<ref name="releg">{{cite web|url=https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11700/12879067/southampton-relegated-from-the-premier-league-james-ward-prowse-says-he-and-team-mates-will-carry-regrets|title=Southampton relegated from the Premier League|website=Sky Sports|date=13 May 2023|access-date=13 May 2023}}</ref> On 24 May 2023, Southampton confirmed that they would not renew the contract of Sellés when it expired at the end of the season.<ref>{{Cite web |last=House |first=Alfie |date=24 May 2023 |title=Southampton confirm they will not renew Ruben Selles manager contract |url=https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/23544114.southampton-confirm-will-not-renew-ruben-selles-manager-contract/ |access-date=24 May 2023 |website=Southern Daily Echo}}</ref>

=== Subsequent promotion and relegation (2023–present) ===
On 21 June 2023, the club appointed [[Russell Martin (footballer)|Russell Martin]] as manager on a three-year contract.<ref>{{Cite web |date=21 June 2023 |title=Russell Martin: Southampton name Swansea City boss as new manager |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/65980277 |access-date=22 June 2023 |website=BBC Sport}}</ref> Southampton returned to the Premier League at the first attempt, defeating [[Leeds United F.C.|Leeds United]] in the [[2024 EFL Championship play-off final|play-off final]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/live/cd11vdnwwjdt |title=Leeds United 0–1 Southampton |first=Ian |last=Woodcock |website=BBC Sport |date=26 May 2024 |access-date=26 May 2024}}</ref> On 15 December 2024, Martin was sacked as Southampton sat 20th in the Premier League table with only 5 points after 16 games following a 5–0 defeat at home by Tottenham Hotspur. He was replaced in the interim by [[Simon Rusk]], the [[Southampton F.C. Under-21s and Academy|Southampton U-21s]] head coach.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Brewin |first=John |date=15 December 2024 |title=Russell Martin sacked by Southampton after humbling Tottenham defeat |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/dec/15/russell-martin-sacked-southampton-after-defeat-tottenham |access-date=15 December 2024 |work=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Premier League Table |url=https://www.premierleague.com/tables |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241216023239/https://www.premierleague.com/tables |archive-date=16 December 2024 |access-date=15 December 2024 |website=[[Premier League]]}}</ref> Six days later, [[Ivan Jurić]] was appointed the next manager on an 18-month deal.<ref>{{Cite web |date=21 December 2024 |title=Saints appoint Ivan Jurić as Men's First Team Manager |url=https://www.southamptonfc.com/en/news/article/saints-appoint-ivan-juric-as-mens-first-team-manager |access-date=22 December 2024 |website=Southampton F.C.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=21 December 2024 |title=Southampton appoint Juric as new manager |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/c1wqlnvwzqdo |access-date=22 December 2024 |work=[[BBC News]]}}</ref> The club were effectively relegated from the Premier League on 6 April 2025 with seven games remaining,<ref>{{Cite web |date=6 April 2025 |title=Southampton endure historic Premier League relegation after defeat at Spurs |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/apr/06/tottenham-southampton-relegated-premier-league-match-report |access-date=6 April 2025 |website=The Guardian}}</ref> becoming the earliest team to suffer relegation in Premier League history.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tottenham Hotspur 3–1 Southampton: Saints relegated in record time |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/live/crkxdgxzdvmt |access-date=2025-04-07 |website=BBC Sport |language=en-GB}}</ref>