Southampton may have to be ruthless in order to assemble a side capable of staying in the Premier League next season.
The current crop of players managed a fourth place finish in the Championship before beating Leeds United 1-0 in the play-off final.
Five of the players who finished the season at the club were on loan, with Taylor Harwood-Bellis the only one so far to make his Southampton move permanent.
Stuart Armstrong is already confirmed to be leaving upon the expiry of his contract this summer, whilst Che Adams and Alex McCarthy are both expected to leave for the same reason despite nothing finalised at this stage.
There is a lot of uncertainty around who will be at the club next season, with manager Russell Martin likely to need a number of additions to displace some current starters.
Few guarantees for Southampton Premier League starting XI
Southampton are desperate to sign Flynn Downes permanently from West Ham United this summer after he played a crucial role at the heart of the midfield on loan last season.
Downes is integral to how Martin wants to play and if the Saints do manage to convince West Ham to sell then he will be one of the first names on the team sheet.
Aside from that, though, there are very few guarantees.
Adam Armstrong scored the winner in the play-off final and was Southampton’s top goalscorer with 21 league goals as well as a further 13 assists.
There are concerns over his ability to carry this kind of form into the Premier League however, with the 27-year-old managing just four top flight goals in his two seasons prior to relegation.
Number one goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu will be out injured well into next season with the achilles injury that saw him miss the last month of the campaign, combined with McCarthy’s contract situation, means it is highly likely a new stopper will start next season.
Even captain Jack Stephens can be afforded no certainty that he will be a starter, although he became increasingly important towards the end of the promotion winning campaign; often operating as an auxiliary left-back.
Both Joe Aribo and Will Smallbone went from strength to strength as the season went on but given the step up in quality could see competition introduced to the middle of the pitch.
Kyle Walker-Peters and Taylor Harwood-Bellis only two certain starters
With the club currently lacking in depth both up front and in wide areas, there are arguably only two guaranteed starters currently contracted to the club.
That is defensive duo Kyle Walker-Peters and Harwood-Bellis who, perhaps coincidentally, have lined up next to each other for the bulk of the season with Walker-Peters at right back and Harwood-Bellis preferring the right centre-back position.
Walker-Peters should never have been playing in the Championship last season given his obvious quality and will continue to be linked with a move this summer, but Southampton’s Premier League return could see him stay.
Promotion also meant the Saints could trigger their £20 million obligation to buy for Harwood-Bellis from Manchester City; a player who would have been playing top flight football next season with or without Southampton.
Walker-Peters is a twice-capped England international at a time in which right-back is the nation’s position with the most depth, whilst Harwood-Bellis is the England under-21 captain and looks set to have a long future for the senior side.
Therefore, it is a genuine possibility that Walker-Peters and Harwood-Bellis are the only two players at Southampton whose places are as good as secure for next season with a busy summer anticipated.