Southampton are crying out for somebody to guide the road with extra conviction, having scored only one meagre purpose up to now this season within the Premier League.

It’s after all solely early days with simply three league video games executed and dusted, however it’s worrying that the one strike the Saints have managed to bag this marketing campaign up to now has come from a participant who normally strains up within the right-back place in Yukinari Sugawara, who scored late on away at Brentford final day trip.

Each Adam Armstrong and Ben Brereton-Diaz have been unable to search out the again of the online as far as Southampton’s main stars up high, with Armstrong contemporary off a Championship season the place he rifled dwelling 24 strikes to assist the South Coast facet triumphantly win promotion

Neither gamers can boast the truth that they are going to be remembered in Southampton folklore anytime quickly like former attacking heroes Gareth Bale or Theo Walcott, with each homegrown abilities thrilling these on the South Coast as soon as upon a time with their uncooked skill as wide-eyed kids.

Their finest days in soccer would not come about till after they left St. Mary’s behind, nonetheless, very like this switch misfire who by no means settled at Southampton however was a prolific menace elsewhere.

Billy Sharp’s switch to Southampton

Sharp would be a part of the Saints mid-way by way of the 2012/13 season with a repute for being a purpose machine within the Championship, having helped himself to 40 strikes in complete throughout two campaigns and a half within the second tier with Doncaster Rovers.

Solely costing a reported £1.8m to land too, Nigel Adkins – the Saints boss on the time – will need to have thought he’d struck gold, particularly after his heroics in entrance of purpose aided Southampton in returning to the Premier League that very same season.

Sharp would web a mightily spectacular 9 strikes from simply 15 clashes within the second tier to assist his new employers obtain promotion, earlier than then discovering his time with the Saints would start to unravel.

He could be regularly be chucked again out on mortgage to a complete host of EFL golf equipment, to additional showcase his lethal goalscoring instincts within the Championship with the likes of Nottingham Forest, Studying and again at Doncaster, with the sharpshooter by no means given a good crack on the Premier League when enjoying for the South Coast facet.

The ex-Southampton quantity 11 would solely make a additional three appearances for the membership earlier than strolling away in 2014 to return to extra acquainted environment in Yorkshire, method away from the South Coast location he had struggled to develop hooked up to, and nearer to his former golf equipment in Doncaster and Sheffield United.

Saints supervisor Ronald Koeman would solely offload Sharp for £600k when he did depart, a giant loss on the alleged £1.8m they’d beforehand forked out to win his providers, however he would find yourself additionally being considerably of a flop for his subsequent employers in Leeds United.

It would not be till Sharp rejoined his beloved Blades that he would get again into his goalscoring groove as soon as extra, solely managing 5 objectives from 35 video games for Leeds, however placing that method behind him when turning right into a deadly beast at Bramall Lane.

Sharp’s rebirth at Sheffield United

Sharp is properly remembered for his many various spells together with his hometown membership, together with his third and remaining spell with the Blades undoubtedly his most impactful and memorable.

The 5 foot 9 livewire would rejoin his boyhood employers after they had been swamped enjoying in League One, together with his former Saints supervisor in Adkins very a lot struggling on the helm to breathe life again into the sleeping giants.

That would not cease Sharp from at the least elevating the spirits of a dejected Blades fanbase together with his knack of instinctively ending possibilities, with 21 league strikes registered throughout his first season again in South Yorkshire, at the same time as United slumped to a disappointing eleventh positioned end.

It would not be till Chris Wilder – who can be born and bred from Sheffield like Sharp – stepped as much as exchange Adkins that the Blades would begin to leap up the leagues, with Sharp and Wilder a match made in heaven.

Sharp would hearth dwelling a staggering 30 league objectives throughout the 2016/17 marketing campaign as United received the League One title in type, earlier than then serving to his rejuvenated troops seal one other promotion as much as the Premier League throughout the 18/19 season, courtesy of 23 league strikes being hammered dwelling from 40 contests.

All of those objectives would come about after the veteran striker rejoined the ranks at Bramall Lane for simply £500k, as Southampton watched on questioning what may have been if the now 38-year-old attacker had acclimatised to his St Mary’s environment higher within the Premier League.

His exploits within the second tier for United and lots of extra golf equipment would result in Sharp being topped the Championship’s document all-time goalscorer, with 120 objectives registered within the division from 397 clashes in complete.

That is not the solely mind-boggling statistic involving the 38-year-old’s plentiful purpose numbers both, together with his profession purpose tally – which continues to go up and up even to today – now surpassing each Bale and Walcott’s personal outputs, who’re legends on the South Coast, not like Sharp.

Sharp’s kind this season

Each Bale and Walcott – who notched up totals of 185 objectives and 132 objectives respectively earlier than calling it a day – pale compared considerably to Sharp’s ever-growing quantity, who remains to be a feared striker for defenders to return up towards now plying his commerce in League Two.

He has remained near Sheffield too, with the ageing attacker again at one other of his former employers in Doncaster, the place he continues to be efficient.

Trying on the desk above, with the addition of his three strikes from 5 video games thus far this season, Sharp’s bumper profession tally goes as much as an astronomical 276 objectives, exhibiting that there is lots of life nonetheless left in his legs.

In fact, he shall be making ready for his retirement at some point, together with his spell at Southampton not precisely one he’ll revisit in his head with a lot sentimentality when he does cling up his boots for good.

However, the likes of Armstrong again at St. Mary’s within the current nonetheless has time on his arms to turn into an much more cherished determine at Southampton this season if he can quickly break his goalscoring duck, and rating the very important strikes that see his facet steer away from relegation doom.