Every so often a player is not fully appreciated by the fans until he has left for pastures new and, without doubt, Graziano Pellè fits into that category.

The problem almost certainly stemmed from the fact he was seen as a direct replacement for the Liverpool-bound Rickie Lambert and no one was going to find it plain sailing trying to slip into those particular boots. He was just a few days short of his 29^th birthday and with his Mediterranean tan, gelled dark hair and male model looks and athletic physique appeared to be the absolute antithesis of his predecessor.

Up until Feyenoord, Pellè’s scoring record was nothing to write home about either, but under Ronald Koeman, an impressive 55 goals in 66 matches meant the Dutch manager wasted little time in bringing him to St Mary’s as he was forced to undertake a major rebuilding exercise following his arrival. It turned out to be an inspired signing at €10 as the 6’ 4” striker fitted seamlessly into the Premier League, featuring in every game the first season.

Koeman – who had first worked with the young Italian at AZ – told the BBC website that

“he is a tall striker, with a lot of movement and he is fast. He is a player who gives confidence to the team because he keeps the ball”.

Koeman also signed Sadio Mané and Dusan Tadić that summer and the three players immediately formed an understanding that was to pay dividends over the two years Koeman was in the St Mary’s dugout. Pellè was the master of holding the ball up or playing it into the path of the lightening-quick Mané but, like Lambert, also knew where the net was as his 30 goals in just 71 starts fully illustrates. While at Southampton he won his first call up to the Italian national team in October 2014, the first of an eventual 20 caps for the Azurri, and he helped Saints into Europe twice when they finished 7^th and 6^th.

The only downside was that in the summer of 2016 he was now 31 and with Koeman departing for Everton the club agreed to let him go to China where he became one of the top five earners in world football. There was a financial bonus for the club too as they also made a tidy profit on the deal of some £3 million.