Pardew tells Martin what he needs to do to keep Southampton up

Martin led the St Mary's side back to the Premier League at the first time of asking, having taken over this summer.

This is the first promotion of Martin's managerial career and will mark the first time he has taken charge of a top-flight side.

Former Newcastle and Crystal Palace boss Pardew, 62, has told Martin where Saints need to improve in order to avoid the drop next season. 

He told talkSport: “He (Martin) is going to celebrate but he will be pinching himself, realising that he is a Premier League manager.

“He has got a lot of work to do. Any team that gets promoted needs to sign four or five top-quality players. He is going to have to put some work in.

Alan Pardew congratulated Southampton boss Russell Martin (Image: Richard Crease)

“Fair play to him and what he has done because of the expectations, particularly after they lost four games on the trot - the margins are so fine between success and failure.

“You have got to get yourself in the room - he got to the final. The difference between the two teams was a fine margin.

“Big shout out to Alex McCarthy, who I had at Palace. He is a great lad. It’s great to see him in goal today and going up again.

“I remember when I took over there, we were on minus 10 points with no one. Adam Lallana was basically the only one there.

Pardew added: “They are back again. Now it’s about stabilising. They need to do what Brighton and Palace have done - build a stronger team so the threat of relegation isn’t around.

“That threat will be around next season. That second year should hopefully be easier because you have invested in players to stay in the division for a period of time."

Alan Pardew is a former Southampton manager (Image: PA)

Southampton won promotion with four loan players in their starting line up - Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Ryan Fraser, Flynn Downes and David Brooks.

Harwood-Bellis will remain a Saints payer next season due to the obligation to buy clause in his loan deal, which has been triggered by promotion.

Pardew believes Saints should go back in for those loan players ahead of their Premier League return.

He concluded: “That doesn’t mean to say that they are going to return to their home club and feel like they can produce those performances there.

“It’s sometimes better for everybody if a player has done well (while on loan), to do a deal with a club.

“He has to look further afield than that. From my experience, you have to bring in two or three nailed-on Premier League players - established top-flight players.

“They’ve lost two weeks of the window already because of the playoffs. The Premier League season has ended and they are already hunting players.

“It moves so fast. They need to do some catching up.”