ROMEO Lavia is the 2022/23 winner of the Southern Daily Echo Player of the Year award - as voted by you.

In a thoroughly disastrous season that has seen Saints relegated to the Championship, Lavia has stood out as one of the few bright spots.

Signed from Manchester City last summer, Lavia became a key cog almost immediately under Ralph Hasenhuttl before continuing to flourish with both Nathan Jones and Ruben Selles at the helm.

Still only 19 years old, Lavia has started 25 times in the Premier League for Saints this season, a number that would have been higher had he not suffered a serious hamstring injury against Chelsea in late August.

The Belgian midfielder took home the Daily Echo Player of the Year award with 41% of the public vote. In second is Lavia’s midfield partner and Saints captain James Ward-Prowse with 22% of the vote while January signing Charly Alcaraz came third with 12%.

Daily Echo:

Ward-Prowse’s second-place finish follows back-to-back seasons in which he claimed the top prize. 

Ward-Prowse, Rickie Lambert, James Beattie, José Fonte, Matt Le Tissier - a three-time winner - Tim Flowers, and Peter Shilton have all won the award on more than one occasion.

It remains to be seen what the future will hold for Lavia this summer with much of the Premier League’s elite credited with interest in signing the impressive talent.

Speaking about the speculation surrounding a possible move, Lavia told Sky Sports in March: "I don’t read it because I just don’t think about it. I just enjoy my football and focus on what we have to do as a club.

"Whatever is outside, it is not what I can control, so I don’t pay attention to that. Football, with how it goes, it goes so fast.”

Saints close out their 11-season Premier League stay on Sunday afternoon when they host Liverpool at St Mary’s.

Echo player of the year roll of honour: 

73–74 Mick Channon, 74–75 Mel Blyth, 75–76 David Peach, 76–77 Steve Williams, 77–78 Alan Ball, 78–79 Malcolm Waldron, 79–80 Phil Boyer, 80–81 Ivan Golac, 81–82 Kevin Keegan, 82–83 Mark Wright, 83–84 David Armstrong, 84–85 Peter Shilton, 85–86 Peter Shilton, 86–87 Glenn Cockerill, 87–88 Derek Statham, 88–89 Jimmy Case, 89–90 Matthew Le Tissier, 90–91 Alan Shearer, 91–92 Tim Flowers, 92–93 Tim Flowers, 93–94 Matthew Le Tissier, 94–95 Matthew Le Tissier, 95–96 Dave Beasant, 96–97 Egil Østenstad, 97–98 Paul Jones, 98–99 James Beattie, 99–00 Dean Richards, 00–01 Wayne Bridge, 01–02 Chris Marsden, 02–03 James Beattie, 03–04 Antti Niemi, 04–05 Peter Crouch, 05–06 Claus Lundekvam, 06–07 Chris Baird, 07–08 Andrew Davies, 08–09 Kelvin Davis, 09–10 Rickie Lambert, 10–11 José Fonte, 11–12 Rickie Lambert, 12–13 Morgan Schneiderlin, 13–14 Adam Lallana, 14–15 José Fonte, 15-16 Shane Long, 16-17 Oriol Romeu, 17-18 Alex McCarthy, 18-19 Nathan Redmond, 19-20 Danny Ings, 20-21 James Ward-Prowse, 21-22 James Ward-Prowse.