Saints legend Terry Paine believes that Ronald Koeman doesn’t need to dip into the transfer market this summer so as long as he can keep his squad together.

The club’s record appearance holder and president is delighted with the strength in depth as the likes of Fraser Forster and Jay Rodriguez fight back to fitness and with Charlie Austin having signed in January.

Paine feels that, as well players returning from long term injuries - with Florin Gardos also set to come back in the ranks - fans will see the best of last summer’s raft of signings next season after their initial settling in period.

There is inevitably a lot of focus on what Saints might need in the transfer market, but Paine thinks that, unless the club are suddenly going to splash out huge money, then they will struggle to get better than what have already got.

He said: “If we started the season with the squad as we are now, unless you go into the big league with what you are going to spend, I don’t see where they can improve that much.

“We always say even if you are a strong side then, strength for strength, buy better than what you’ve got.

“It’s amazing that managers, although there are weaknesses, often buy where they are stronger.

“We often think a team needs a couple of full backs and they go and buy a couple of strikers. “Arsenal would be a prime example – everybody has been crying out for them to get a better back four and it always seems to be another striker or midfielder.”

Paine continued: “If we have the choice, in other words if it’s within Southampton’s grasp to keep what we’ve got without losing anybody, then I wouldn’t look much farther than what we’ve got at the moment.

“Players become available and may be attractive and there is nothing wrong with buying somebody like that.

“The problem we would have is if players are sold.”

Paine, part of the England World Cup winning squad of 1966, has nothing but praise for the way Saints are being run on and off the pitch.

However, he is also a realist and knows that Saints are not immune from similar problems in as those they have faced over the last couple of years in terms of keeping hold of players.

“I think that is one of the problems any team like a Southampton has got,” he reflected. “What about Leicester? Can they keep Vardy, Mahrez, Drinkwater if someone offers £40m?

“The problem is Ronald Koeman, Ranieri, they have done wonderful jobs, but because they’ve done a good job that unfortunately can be the undoing of a team as we have seen in the last two summers.

“When you consider what has happened in the last two summers Southampton have been remarkable.

“It would always worry me (if it happened again). If it was that easy teams would chop and change every summer. They would always cash in.

“To be fair, over the last two summers the work that has been done to bring these players in, and the check on their backgrounds, that’s another team off the pitch who have done remarkably well.”

  • Read more of Terry Paine’s views on Saints in his exclusive column in this weekend’s edition of The Pink