In contrast to their precarious table position, Southampton are doing exceedingly well off the pitch.

The Saints released their financial records on Friday and the results have shown a pre-tax profit of £43.7m.

This is despite the player wage bill ballooning by 29 per cent, with the squad racking in a combined £86.6m. Concerts and sponsorship deals are believed to have contributed significantly to the profits.

"We had record revenues which given it was the first year of the new deal with Sky and BT isn't all that surprising, I think most Premier League clubs will be experiencing the same in the year ending '17.

"We benefited from Europa League participation, reaching the EFL Cup final and turned it into a good year from a revenue and profit perspective and we remain a financially stable club."