Of the three teams relegated from the Premier League, it could be argued that Southampton have fewer reasons to fear a mass summer exodus than Leeds and Leicester.
They have a whopping 30 first-team players still under contract, meaning the adjustment to the Sky Bet Championship could be manageable, even if they lose a handful of stars. Theo Walcott and Mohammed Elyounoussi are the only first-teamers to leave.
Planning for the squad can now commence with the appointment of Russell Martin as their new head coach, a long-awaited move finally reaching its conclusion as he departed Swansea for the role.
That continuity could be key for a side that endured huge upheaval last term, playing under three different bosses in Ralph Hasenhuttl, Nathan Jones and Ruben Selles, the managerial merry-go-round surely severely hindering their bid for survival.
Yes, this is a team that struggled badly at times last term, seemingly giving up the ghost with nine losses in their final 12 games as the drop became inevitable but they did the double over Chelsea and took points off Manchester United, Arsenal and Spurs.
The 2022-23 Saints finished bottom but they're not even in the conversation when it comes to all-time poor Premier League sides and many clubs will be casting admiring glances at their ranks despite a relegation now spoiling players' CVs.
With so many players on the books, Saints have the chance to make a pretty penny this summer - but who'll be on the move?
James Ward-Prowse
- Position: Central midfielder
- Contract ends: June 2026
Arguably Southampton's most saleable asset, it is no exaggeration to say England midfielder James Ward-Prowse has been linked with half the Premier League since - and indeed even well before - Saints' relegation from the top flight was confirmed.
West Ham, Wolves, Arsenal, Tottenham, Liverpool and Aston Villa are just a handful of clubs to be linked with the 28-year-old who, like Leicester's James Maddison, enjoyed another impressive individual season despite things unravelling around him.
The Hammers are odds-on favourites at time of writing but the presence of a baker's dozen top-flight clubs in the market speaks volumes.
Ward-Prowse topped Saints' goals and assists charts with nine and four respectively - and made the Premier League's top 10 for key passes per game as the majority of the good things Southampton produced revolved around their homegrown hero.
The issue for JWP and his many suitors is his contract at St Mary's spans three more years, leading Saints to slap a reported £50m price tag on his head - some would say the dead-ball specialist is worth that for set-pieces alone but it's still a hefty fee.
Romeo Lavia
- Position: Defensive midfielder
- Contract ends: June 2027
Signed from Manchester City last summer for an initial £10.5m, Romeo Lavia looked the stereotypical Southampton purchase, a raw talent they would hope to hone and sell on for a large profit like a conveyor belt of players before him.
Relegation means that time might have come long before Saints had hoped, with the 19-year-old Belgium midfielder interesting a host of the Premier League's glamour clubs including Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool.
A hamstring injury at the end of August disrupted Lavia's start to life in a Southampton shirt but the teenager returned to become a staple of Saints' starting XI in the second half of the campaign.
Available for a reported £45m, Lavia would be more of a buy for the future for any elite top-flight club that snares him and while a season in the second tier might actually be good for his development, Saints are unlikely to turn down a fourfold profit.
Tino Livramento
- Position: Right-back
- Contract ends: June 2026
You could be forgiven for having forgotten about Tino Livramento, given the 20-year-old missed virtually all of Southampton's disappointing season with an anterior cruciate ligament injury, making two substitute appearances in their final two games.
But the former Chelsea youngster was one of the shining stars of Ralph Hasenhuttl's final full season in charge in 2021-22 and while it's unlikely his presence would have altered Saints' fate, he was certainly a huge miss during the campaign just gone.
After more than a year out with such a serious knee injury, there is the possibility Livramento decides that St Mary's and the Championship is the right place to continue his comeback.
But the England under-21 international - yes he's English despite his exotic sounding name - is reportedly on Newcastle's wish-list. For Saints, it could come down to a straight choice - keep Livramento or Kyle Walker-Peters as it's unlikely both will stay.
Nathan Tella
- Position: Right-winger
- Contract ends: June 2025
Another 'forgotten man', Nathan Tella did not play a single minute for Saints last term as he was sent out on a season-long loan to Burnley, where the 23-year-old wide man really came into his own under Vincent Kompany.
Tella played more matches, minutes, scored more goals and provided more assists in one season at Turf Moor than he had in the previous three campaigns combined with his parent club, where he had threatened to break through but never quite did so.
He finished as the Clarets' leading scorer, with 17 goals, as they stormed to the Championship title - leaving Southampton with quite the quandary upon Tella's return to the south coast following the end of his loan spell.
Burnley, understandably, are keen to bring in Tella permanently - do Saints do business or do they try to keep hold of a player who has already proven he can provide the impact a team chasing promotion from the second tier badly needs?
Che Adams
- Position: Striker
- Contract ends: June 2024
One of only seven Saints whose deals expire next summer - with the remaining 23 under contract until 2025 and beyond - Che Adams is a player who it would make sense for Southampton to cash in on while they can.
The forward has never truly threatened to become a prolific Premier League goalscorer - indeed last season was the first time he reached double figures in the top flight - but his all-round game and workrate can create openings for others.
The 26-year-old would be a decent addition for any team in the bottom half of the Premier League and, to that end, it is little surprise that the likes of Everton, Nottingham Forest and newly-promoted Burnley have shown interest in his services.
But, on the other side of the coin, Adams scored 22 goals in his most recent season in the Championship for Birmingham - a tally that earned his move to Saints - and there could be the inclination to keep him in the hope he reproduces a similar total.
Carlos Alcaraz
- Position: Attacking midfielder
- Contract ends: June 2027
One of the few bright spots of the miserable second half of Southampton's season, the 20-year-old Argentinian ended up as Saints' third leading scorer with four goals, despite only joining in January from Racing Club.
However, that impact has not gone unnoticed with Saints' south coast rivals Brighton heavily linked with a move for the talented youngster, who also provided two assists, meaning he averaged a goal involvement every two games.
Serie A giants AC Milan have also been mentioned in dispatches, leaving Saints with yet another stick-or-twist dilemma. In interviews with Argentinian media, Alcaraz has expressed a desire for top-flight football and has shown he belongs there.
Armel Bella-Kotchap
- Position: Centre-back
- Contract ends: June 2026
With central defensive colleague Mohammed Salisu a shoo-in to leave - having played just once in the final 16 games amid concerns over a lack of commitment - the future of Armel Bella-Kotchap is one of the more intriguing Saints summer storylines.
The 21-year-old signed a four-year deal last summer and has arguably been the pick of Saints' back-line - an admittedly low bar after they conceded 73 goals in 38 games.
Bella-Kotchap was limited to 24 league appearances due to a shoulder injury but only team-mate Jan Bednarek made more interceptions in the entire top-flight than the German international, who clearly reads the game exceptionally.
And his ambitions with his country could well determine Bella-Kotchap's future - he has only earned two caps thus far but with Germany hosting Euro 2024, a once-in-a-career opportunity, would they really select a man in England's second tier?