Southampton transfer ratings: Ranking all 8 summer signings from best to worst
Southampton have been very busy this summer with several new signings entering the building.
Indeed, the total number that has joined Tonda Eckert's ranks now, over the hectic summer, comes in at a weighty eight.
With four games also now over and done with in the brand-new Championship season, Saints supporters far and wide are already making their early assessments about the bodies that have joined to help Southampton compete for promotion.
Here is my own personal rankings of all eight summer signings, from best to worst.
Of course, these are all just a matter of opinion, and football is an ever-changing sport, so those who have ranked further down the list could turn around their St. Mary's fortunes down the line.
All eight Southampton signings ranked from worst to best
Cyle Larin - 9/10
The obvious place to start, when it comes to these rankings, is to crown Cyle Larin as the cream of the crop of the summer recruits.
There would have been a worry that the ship had sailed on Southampton winning the red-hot Canadian on a permanent basis, after Spygate came to light.
But Eckert and Co. managed to go against the narrative that every star player would desert the tainted club after this ugly part of their recent history by re-signing Larin for a bargain £3m.
He has been worth every bit of that low transfer fee since rejoining for good, with a blistering four strikes next to his name this season in the Championship, which included this beautifully taken volley finding the back of the net against Millwall.
The Brampton Bagsman is in with a real shout of collecting the second tier golden boot accolade at the end of the season if he can keep the goals coming at such a quick pace.
Daniel Peretz - 8/10
Daniel Peretz follows closely behind Larin with an 8/10 rating.
Like Larin, Southampton fans would have been shocked that the Israeli goalkeeper wanted to rejoin Eckert's group, after their promotion dreams were ripped into shreds, but he returned for an equally modest amount of only £6m.
Snapping up the 26-year-old for such a slim fee was a steal, as he kept a standout eight clean sheets from only 24 Saints appearances last season.
He only has one clean sheet this campaign, amid some wild shouts coming to the surface that Aaron Ramsdale should replace him in between the sticks, but on his day, there isn't a more trustworthy stopper in the entire division.
James Ward-Prowse - 8/10
The South Coast giants left it very late into the window to welcome back one of their own.
James Ward-Prowse is a modern icon at St. Mary's, that goes without saying, with 55 goals and 52 assists previously coming his way at his boyhood club, from a mammoth 412 appearances.
He will want to bump up that goal and assist tally as Eckert's men clinch promotion back up to the Premier League, and he was bright in spells during the Saints' last outing at Birmingham City, as he nearly beat James Beadle with a second half shot.
Snapped back up for only £800k, he sticks out as a perfect reserve option the German can fall back on, who he also wouldn't hesitate throwing into some nail-biting matches from the start if needs be.
Keven Schlotterbeck - 8/10
Joining around the same late stages of the window as the adored Ward-Prowse, Keven Schlotterbeck was more of an unknown entity when his arrival was confirmed from Augsburg.
The 29-year-old would join with bags of Bundesliga experience under his belt, having played for VFL Bochum, alongside Augsburg, and he hasn't looked out of place in his new English home yet.
He had a lot of pressure on his shoulders to succeed at the back, with Taylor Harwood-Bellis no longer around, but he looked confident and brave on his debut during the 5-1 victory over Millwall.
He's even off the mark with a goal, as he confidently connected with Leo Scienza's corner kick at St. Andrew's.
Safe to say, so far, he looks like a very smart use of £3m.
Divin Mubama - 7/10
Heading to the last couple of signings, we have hit our first loan addition in Divin Mubama.
The Manchester City hotshot would join the ranks with a reputation for being a raw and electric goalscorer, with a ridiculous 16 goals put away for the City U21s during the 2024/25 season in Premier League 2.
He also has past experience of being a wide-eyed loanee in the Championship, with five goals scored for Stoke City last season.
He is off the mark for his new employers, too, as he only needed 12 minutes of action against the Potters to help Eckert and Co. clinch a late 3-1 win.
Unfortunately, he hasn't been a menace every time he's taken to the field in his new red and white attire, with only five touches of the ball managed against Birmingham.
For the time being, he will do as a capable back-up to Larin.
Zach Abbott - 7/10
The second loan capture from the Premier League this jam-packed window was Zach Abbott's surprise arrival on deadline day.
The young defender has left Nottingham Forest behind momentarily to try and get more of a taste of first team action on the South Coast and he arrives very highly rated from the City Ground.
Indeed, Nuno Espirito Santo once fielded the versatile defender - who can play as a full-back and as a centre-back - in an FA Cup semi final showdown with Manchester City.
Further, Abbott regularly lined up for the Tricky Trees in the testing Europa League last season.
This loan pick-up has been put down as a 7/10, despite his clear pedigree, as it still felt a little underwhelming as a last-minute deal, next to links suggesting that Southampton were going to win Elche's David Affengruber.
He ended up moving to Fulham to link up with Shea Charles, as the Saints were made to settle for a loan signing, instead, who should give Eckert more depth at the back both centrally and on the flanks.
George Long - 5/10
George Long returning to the club was hardly an inspired signing when it was announced earlier in the summer.
The 32-year-old has barely played for the Saints, with only one game coming his way last season in the FA Cup, but it can hardly be deemed a disastrous signing, as Eckert and Co. managed to maintain the reserve keeper's services on a free transfer.
With the previously mentioned Ramsdale staying put, though, it will be intriguing to see if he would be thrown into action if Peretz were injured or suspended, or whether the ex-Arsenal stopper would get the nod.
Lewis Dobbin - 4/10
Lastly, at this point in time, Lewis Dobbin definitely goes down as the most disappointing acquisition.
It's early days, so the hope will be that Dobbin is a late bloomer, as for £9m, he has been way off the pace in competitive action for his new team.
The ex-Everton youngster scored goals by the bucket load in pre-season, but when it comes to the Championship, he has offered very little, with zero goals or assists amassed from 87 minutes of action.
He just feels a bit awkwardly placed in Eckert's camp at the moment, with the aforementioned Scienza the clear starter down the left wing, with the £9m splashed out on his services sticking out like a severe waste of cash currently.
It's only early days, though, so he can't be written off just yet.
