Saints’ eighth placed finish last season has helped them break the half-a-billion mark in Premier League earnings.

Saints were paid a total of £127.6m in combined prize and TV money by the Premier League for the campaign just gone under Claude Puel.

That brought their total in the 25-year Premier League era to a staggering £540.7m.

Last season’s earnings puts into context the importance of the new TV deal.

The previous year Saints finished sixth in the table, though had three fewer live TV matches with 12 compared to 15 last time out. It all meant they only bagged £84.7m.

In a remarkable show of just how rich the division has got down the years, the very vast majority of Saints’ earnings have occurred since they got back in the top flight five years ago.

Saints have spent 18 of a possible 25 seasons in the Premier League.

In the first 13 of those before relegation in 2005 they bagged a total of £125.1m.

In the five years since they returned to the top division in 2012 they have been paid £415.6m.

The total of £540.7m puts the club 14th in the list of the highest overall earners in Premier League history.

However, their earnings are dwarfed by table toppers Manchester United.

They broke £1bn with the £143.6m they raked in during the last campaign.

Arsenal are second with £985.5m with Chelsea third on £968.6m.