Ex-Southampton man tells players when to wait before pursing an exit

Caulker suggested some players will feel their performances have warranted a summer transfer, despite the club suffering an early relegation.

The 33 year old, who has been relegated twice, urged any player wanting to leave Saints to focus on repaying the club and the supporters before pursuing a move away.

Speaking to the BBC, Caulker said: “I wouldn’t want to be in that dressing room right now. I’ve been relegated, but not as early as Southampton.

"You are playing for personal pride in the last games. You expect the senior players to stand up now and rally the boys to put in some decent performances.

“The players who made a transfer to Southampton took a risk, they knew the odds were stacked against them. They are in that boat together. Some might get a transfer out of this.

“The most important thing if you’re in that dressing room now is personal pride. They have to roll their sleeves up and give the fans something to cheer about.

Steven Caulker made eight appearances while on loan at Southampton.

“Then they can talk to their agents in the summer and see where the club is at. I’m talking here as a player, but the club will want some of the players out.

“There will be players there earning a lot of money. It’s going to be a very busy summer at Southampton."

Southampton set a new record on Sunday by becoming the first team in Premier League history to be relegated after 31 games.

Sacked manager Ivan Juric won just one of his 14 Premier League games, and promotion-winning boss Russell Martin also claimed a solitary victory.

Caulker pointed out Saints had only been waiting to be relegated officially but admitted confirmation will still be a "punch in the gut".

“They have been (woeful)," the Sierra Leone captain continued. "Listening to the pain in Ramsdale’s voice, I can relate.

"It’s not a nice feeling. You feel you have let the fans down. You look around the dressing room and feel you have let your teammate down because we all make mistakes.

“Those moments add up, and it leads to relegation. It’s a really tough place to be. Ramsdale has had a tough couple of years. Commiserations to him and the team.

A reminder here of what TD Johannes Spors has already set out that he wants from a potential new manager at Saints.

"A very intense style is something that fits here," he said. Spors added he was already tracking manager market since arriving.#SaintsFC

— Alfie House (@AlfieHouseEcho) April 8, 2025

“(Southampton) haven’t been good enough this year. They started under Russell Martin, but they never picked up the results with the performances.

“They were decent under Russell Martin, but they weren’t picking up results. The change in manager hasn’t made any improvement. They’ve been down for a while.

“Getting confirmation is another punch in the gut. The hardest part of all of this is that they still have seven games to play.

“They still have to put the shirt on, put in the performances that they are getting paid for. They are professionals, they owe that to the club. That’s a tough place to be."