It is not the conventional formula for success. Sell five of the finest players, do not reinvest all of the money in reinforcements, lose the highly rated manager, then be accused of lacking ambition.
Indeed, they stood accused of destroying six years of fine work by one of the best remaining footballers.
When Southampton's season started, they were being tipped for relegation by increasing numbers. Five games in, they sit second in the English Premier League and just beat Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in the English League Cup.
While other teams struggle to adapt after the loss of one player, Southampton moved on seamlessly without half of their outstanding side. Some would say the now-disbanded group of 2013/14 were their greatest crop for a quarter-century.
They host Queens Park Rangers on Saturday as league-leading Chelsea’s closest challengers. Despite selling three-quarters of their back four, they have the Premier League’s most-frugal defence.
The facts point to a remarkable resilience. Southampton’s is a start that shows their decision-making has often been excellent.
Firstly and most significantly, the choice of Ronald Koeman as the replacement to manager Mauricio Pochettino has paid dividends so far.
When clubs develop distinct identities, it is crucial to appoint a manager to fit the philosophy, to deploy a rather overused word. Koeman brought some continuity of thought, as well as a knowledge of the Dutch transfer market.
Two pivotal signings followed him from the Netherlands. Graziano Pelle scored 55 goals in 66 games for Koeman’s Feyenoord.
The Italian has taken over from Rickie Lambert as the target man, scoring three times in five league matches and supplying Victor Wanyama’s weekend winner at Swansea City.
The Serbian winger Dusan Tadic, formerly of Twente, has proved the successor to captain Adam Lallana, bringing flair on the flanks.
The dramatic debut of another winger, the speedy Senegalese Sadio Mane, in Tuesday’s win at Arsenal prompted Koeman to say there is more to come from his new-look Southampton.
Indeed, Florian Gardos, the Romanian centre-back who was signed to replace Dejan Lovren, is yet to start a league game, while Shane Long, the striker who looked overpriced at £12 million (Dh71.8m), has yet to score. Over the course of a season, they will need other newcomers to succeed.
But with the possible exception of Long, Southampton displayed their financial acumen. There are reasons to believe they would never have received an offer of £25m for Lallana again.
They signed Lovren for £8.5m and sold him to Liverpool 12 months later for £20m.
If Lambert, 32, scorer of 28 Premier League goals in two years, was the cheapest departure at £4.5m, Southampton still quadrupled their money on a player who had taken them from depths of League One to the upper half of the top flight.
When Manchester United spent £27m on Luke Shaw and Arsenal laid down £16m on Calum Chambers, both were paying for potential, for the promise of the players they could become.
Clubs of Southampton’s standing do not need a £43m pair of full-backs. Indeed, in Nathaniel Clyne, scorer of a spectacular decider against Arsenal, they had a ready-made replacement for Chambers who, as his elder, was actually his predecessor in the side.
Crucially, while defence and attack were changed, the midfield has remained the same.
Morgan Schneiderlin, who tweeted in July that “6 years of an amazing journey #saintsfc DESTROYED in 1 hour !” has been persuaded to stay. Advances from Tottenham and Pochettino were repelled.
He has excelled, too, and Koeman has been able to perm three from five able central midfielders in the Frenchman, Jack Cork, James Ward-Prowse, Steven Davis and Wanyama. They still have energy and quality at the heart of the team.
Southampton might well lose Schneiderlin at some stage, or Jay Rodriguez, but for now, they are role models.
They were raided for star players and a manager alike, but they have survived and prospered.
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