Southampton have seen a whole host of talent grace St Mary's over the years as demonstrated in their summer fire sale, reluctantly letting go of James Ward-Prowse, Romeo Lavia, Tino Livramento and Nathan Tella.
While those were just a few of the stars they were forced into selling following their relegation, the talent sold this summer doesn't touch the surface of the profile of players they've sold previously.
The Saints have nurtured and developed some of the game's biggest stars who have gone on to become world-beaters since departing the club, including Sadio Mane, Virgil van Dijk and Gareth Bale.
In 2013, Mauricio Pochettino came close to adding to that impressive roster – but as seen by the players he brought to St Mary's – the Argentine fell short in the transfer market.
During his 18 months in charge, Pochettino brought in Vegard Forren, Daniel Osvaldo, Victor Wanyama and Dejan Lovren, although the quality of that list would have dramatically improved if he had managed to sign Heung-Min Son at the time.
Did Southampton almost sign Heung-Min Son?
Southampton came close to signing Heung-Min Son in 2013, as revealed by Pochettino before he signed for Bayer Leverkusen.
The Argentine was on the lookout for a goalscorer to keep them afloat in the Premier League and landed on the South Korean as their target after scoring 12 goals for Hamburg in the season prior.
Pochettino knew of his talents from an early age and was desperate to bring him to England that summer, however, his attempts to sign him were thwarted and Son stayed put in Germany.
Speaking in 2019, the 51-year-old revealed they were close to landing the forward, who was 21-years-old at the time, but were unable to agree personal terms.
He commented: "We tried to sign him in Southampton. He preferred to move to Leverkusen. Then we tried again here and we got him.
"Everyone can see his performance. He is doing a fantastic job for Tottenham. We know his quality and potential.
"We were very close but in the end he was so young and his family preferred, rather than leaving Germany and the Bundesliga, to keep him there and he preferred to move to Bayer Leverkusen rather than Southampton. But we were so close."
Pochettino may have failed in his attempts to bring Son to Southampton, but he did succeed two years later when he was manager of Tottenham – and the rest is history.
How many Premier League goals has Son scored?
Becoming the most expensive Asian player in history after Tottenham signed him from Bayer Leverkusen for £22m in 2015, Son's boundless amounts of talent have propelled him into the elite bracket of Premier League players across the past decade, and of all-time.
The South Korean – who has been lavished as "world-class" on numerous occasions, notably by Jose Mourinho – is simply a joy to watch when in full flow, striking the most successful partnership in the competitions history with former teammate Harry Kane – as the pair dominated at the top end of the scoring charts for almost a decade.
In the 2021/22 season, the pair were on fire as Son finished as the league's joint-top scorer on 23, but this wasn't the only record he contributed towards that year, surpassing Frank Lampard's and Didier Drogba's record of most goal combinations as a pair (36).
Lauded by Kane as "unbelievable", the 31-year-old's unrelenting scoring power, exceptional footballing brain and explosive physical attributes have been exercised with regularity in his eight-year spell at the Lilywhites, showcasing his ability to produce all types of goals.
From mouth-watering solo goals – like his Puskas award-winning goal against Burnley – to the superbly placed curling efforts and composed finishes inside the box, Son has almost every finish in the locker with his goal-scoring record speaking volumes about the quality he possesses.
In 379 appearances for Spurs, he has chalked up an eye-watering 150 goals and a further 80 assists, demonstrating an unrelenting capacity to produce moments of brilliance in big matches, haunting Arsenal on several occasions in the north London Derby.
While he's worshipped at Tottenham, he's idolised by supporters in the Premier League after becoming the first Asian player to reach 100 goals in the competition last season.
In recent times, however, things haven't always been rosy for Son. His form took a turn for the worse last season, scoring just three times in the opening 14 league matches, but so did Spurs as they struggled under Antonio Conte.
But since the arrival of Ange Postecoglu, the 190k per-week phenom has been revolutionized, filling the void left by Kane superbly with a hat-trick against Burnley and a brace against Arsenal.
Despite managing their rivals Chelsea, Pochettino will always be remembered at Tottenham for the role he played in bringing the South Korean sensation to White Hart Lane.
