From the ashes of financial ruin and ignominy, Southampton have been on a rapid climb back into the upper reaches of the English game. Success on the pitch is being matched by ambitious investment off it, with forward-thinking Nicola Cortese the chief orchestrator in this powerful south coast revolution.
But does the capture of Daniel Osvaldo mark the next phase in the Italian’s Premier League masterplan?
The Italian banker has overseen much of the rebuilding project at the saints since his arrival as part of the Markus Liebherr takeover in 2009. A ruthless operator whose fearless approach to club management has helped him gain fans and critics in equal measures. Whether you love or hate the Italian, it is difficult to look far from his door for the cause of Southampton’s meteoric modern rebirth.
This rise back to prominence has never been quite as smooth as it might appear. Cortese has continually made decisions that risk the ire of supporters, with apparently bizarre u-turns and strategy changes. His managerial reshuffles have been particularly startling, with Alan Pardew sacked following a 4-0 away win to Bristol Rovers 5 games into the season and Nigel Adkins after an impressive 2-2 away draw with the European Champions Chelsea. Baffling on the face of it, but for Cortese the end will always justify the means and he would feel he has earned the right to run the club as he sees fit.
Is his overblown ego something of concern?
I think this trait comes with the territory, a self lover maybe but his unrelenting faith in the ‘project’ is a virtuous attribute for a club very much on the up. There will always be the loud voices of discontent that are offended by the Italian’s media gaffes and disparaging remarks but in the long term this may well be an era to reflect on with fondness rather than anger in years to come.
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So what next?
The upcoming few seasons will no doubt represent the next phase in the project for the club as they seek to compete in the upper reaches of the division. The players Southampton are now capturing have been courted across Europe, the club are now competing at least in the transfer market with some of the biggest clubs that exist. The likes of Lovren, Wanyama and Osvaldo would not be out of place in any of the top clubs that Europe has to offer, and the draw of Mauricio Pochettino would suggest this trend is very much likely continue.
Pochettino’s managerial appointment cannot be understated. The reputation of the former Espanyol tactician has made Southampton an enticing prospect for potential signings, particularly the case with the tortured Osvaldo. Cortese has always criticized the English football culture as being too reactionary, making decisions based on the present rather than looking towards the future. This sentiment was underlined with the sacking of Adkins who had appeared capable of keeping the saints afloat last year. Cortese had the following to say during a recent pre-season tour:
‘It seems cold, but I do everything in order to progress. I don’t want to lose five matches in a row before I sack the manager – I do it before that happens.’
This kind of core sentiment should reassure saints fans, representing someone with an eye to the future rather than to a short term quick fix. Similarly, Cortese has eyes not only for foreign ready-made fixes, but he also acknowledges the importance of maintaining Southampton’s deserved reputation as an academy of football:
“We have a commitment to bring young players into the first team and that’s why the door to the first team is open, The standard at the club is rising, but we have a responsibility to help the English team with players if they want to select them.”
Cortese bucks the trend of the modern football Chairman, keen to go about things his own way rather than conform to the English footballing ideal. Some would say tyrannical and others professional, but surely his results are universally applaudable.
In a summer of heightened spending by many of Southampton’s rivals it will be interesting to see how the saints fare. Teams like Norwich, Fulham and Sunderland have all been keen to reshuffle ahead of the new season and the mid-table dogfight could be the most competitive yet.
The Italian isn’t short sighted enough to think that success will be imminent, but I think people would be wrong to disregard Southampton from the Europa shakeup this campaign. Armed now with a collection of proven quality and upcoming English starlets, the Cortese revolution may well prove fruitful before long.
Is the Cortese revolution ready to go up a gear now?
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