CHAIRMAN Gao Jisheng has successfully sold his 80% share in Saints to Sport Republic, after four-and-a-half years at the top.
The Chinese businessman bought his share from the Liebherr family in August 2017, with Saints having finished eighth in the Premier League and reached the EFL Cup final the season before.
In both 2015-16 and 2016-17, Saints competed in the UEFA Europa League and it looked as though the platform might be there to resume that in the coming years.
But what came next was a stalling in the bottom-half of the Premier League table and a continued acceptance of cut-price replacements being signed after the exodus of stars.
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Here are some of the highs and lows of Saints’ time with Gao Jisheng at the helm...
January, 2018
Saints reinvested £19million of the £75m received for the transfer of Virgil van Dijk to Liverpool in striker Guido Carrillo. This was their last January addition for a notable transfer fee, seriously. Can see why, though.
March 12, 2018.
Mauricio Pellegrino was sacked after just one win in last 17 matches. A 3-0 defeat at Newcastle the final straw for the Argentine, who became the first managerial culling under Gao Jisheng.
March 18, 2018.
Saints reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup for the first time since 2002-03 with a 2-0 victory over League One Wigan Athletic. They would go on to be defeated at Wembley by Chelsea, though.
May 8, 2018.
Manolo Gabbiadini strikes to secure safety and relegate Swansea City. However, having finished eighth the campaign before it showed how far the club had fallen so swiftly.
August 9, 2018.
Danny Ings signs for Saints on an initial loan deal, with a view to a permanent move the following summer. The English hitman would go on to net 41 goals in 91 Premier League matches for Saints, playing an integral role in their survival.
December 5, 2018.
Ralph Hasenhuttl replaces Mark Hughes as Saints manager. The Austrian remains in charge of the Premier League outfit over three years later.
September 24, 2019.
Saints destroyed Portsmouth 4-0 in the EFL Cup at Fratton Park. Danny Ings, who went on to enjoy his most prolific season, netted twice.
October 25, 2019.
Saints were defeated 9-0 by Leicester at St Mary’s. Jamie Vardy and Ayoze Perez both scored hattricks. This loss was one result in a run of which just two of 12 league matches were won, and eight were defeats.
Project Restart, Summer 2020
Rejuvenated from a lengthy break from March to June, Hasenhuttl & co masterminded Saints to having one of the best Project Restart records in the country.
Saints lost just one of nine Premier League matches – to Arsenal – and won five, picking up 18 points from an available 27. They finished 11th in the table, above Everton.
November 6, 2020
Saints went top of the Premier League table for the first time in the club’s history with a 2-0 win over Newcastle United. This, despite losing each of the first two matches of the season.
The positive run continued into early January and a 1-0 win over Liverpool, by which point they had still only lost four games all season.
February 2, 2021
A second 9-0 humiliation for Hasenhuttl, this time at the hands of Manchester United at Old Trafford. Saints had both Alex Jankewitz and Jan Bednarek sent off while facing an injury crisis already.
Hasenhuttl had as few as nine outfield senior players available for selection, and Saints slumped to a run of nine without victory including eight losses.
April 18, 2021
Saints managed to rescue hope in a miserable season with another FA Cup semi-final at Wembley Stadium. It fizzled out without as much as a spark. Leicester walked over Saints 1-0 in an uninspiring, at best, performance.
August 4, 2021
Danny Ings’ shock transfer to Aston Villa is announced as fans are filling St Mary’s for a pre-season fixture. A glum atmosphere washed over Saints, before Jannik Vestergaard also moved later in the window.
Despite the exodus, it turned out to be a positive window for Saints. Plenty of young arrivals give a positive spin on the future of the club, who now sit 10 points clear of the relegation zone at the halfway stage.
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