Southampton’s academy at Staplewood has a rich history of producing future first-team talents, so who are the top 10 players to graduate from the Saints’ youth ranks?
Players have regularly made the step up from youth to first-team football with Southampton and enjoyed lengthy careers. Despite being born in Portsmouth, James Ward-Prowse even emerged from Southampton’s academy and became their captain during his 410-appearance stint at St Mary’s.
The vast catchment area on the south coast has been hugely beneficial for Southampton achieving the club’s status as one of the best academies in England, as well.
Adam Lallana and Jack Stephens are the current first-teamers carrying the torch for the prospects hoping to join this list of the best players who polished their skills in Southampton’s academy.
Matt Le Tissier
- Position: Attacking midfield
- Appearances: 481
- Goals: 183
- Clubs: Southampton
- Years at Southampton: 1986-2001
Matt Le Tissier is one of the most iconic players in Southampton’s history as a club and is the definition of a one-club player developed in the academy.
The Guernsey-born playmaker spent 15 years with the Saints en route to claiming second place behind only Mick Channon as their all-time top scorer.
Le Tissier was well known for his wide array of finishes, netting a plethora of wonder strikes which are still played on highlight reels at Southampton to this day.
Alan Shearer
- Position: Centre-forward
- Appearances: 133
- Goals: 32
- Clubs: Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United
- Years at Southampton: 1988-1992
Alan Shearer is widely regarded as one of the greatest strikers in Premier League history, which is a glowing statement for the coaches in Southampton’s academy.
Shearer joined the south coasters as a 15-year-old after being spotted by Jack Hixon playing for Wallsend Boys.
In his own words in Shearer’s autobiography, the Geordie opted for a move down south over his boyhood club Newcastle United because he ‘loved the people there’ and that ‘the coaching was superb’.
That switch paid dividends for Southampton, too, as Shearer soon broke into their first-team before securing a £3.5m transfer to Blackburn Rovers.
Shearer became a Premier League winner at Ewood Park, too, before furthering the forward’s place etched in top-flight history with a record-breaking 260 goals.
Gareth Bale
- Position: Left-back, right winger
- Appearances: 45
- Goals: 5
- Clubs: Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur, Real Madrid, LAFC
- Years at Southampton: 2006-2007
Gareth Bale was scouted by Rod Ruddick, who is one of the most influential figures in Southampton’s history.
Ruddick spotted the jet-heeled Welshman when he was nine during a six-a-side tournament in Newport and was impressed by Bale’s direct running.
Bale then joined the Saints’ satellite academy in Bath and quickly rose through the ranks before making his senior Southampton debut aged just 16.
The Welshman enjoyed his breakthrough during the 2006/07 Championship season, netting five goals whilst laying on 11 assists from left-back.
Tottenham Hotspur quickly snapped Bale up at the end of that season, splashing £10m to sign the then 17-year-old who went on to cost Real Madrid £85m in 2013.
Playing for the Galacticos even saw Bale win five Champions League titles and La Liga three times before helping Los Angeles FC win the 2022 MLS Cup.
Luke Shaw
- Position: Left-back
- Appearances: 67
- Goals: 0
- Clubs: Southampton, Manchester United
- Years at Southampton: 2012-2014
Luke Shaw grew up in Surrey and attracted interest from Arsenal and Chelsea during his youth but ultimately joined Southampton’s academy at the age of eight.
Winning the race for his services was a huge coup for Southampton and Shaw repaid their faith by earning the left-back’s senior debut in November 2013. Featuring against West Bromwich Albion as a 16-year-old even made Shaw Southampton’s youngest-ever Premier League player.
Shaw enjoyed two marvellous seasons as a first-team regular at St Mary’s before departing for Manchester United in 2014 in a £31m deal. The transfer even made him the fourth-most expensive defender in history at the time.
Adam Lallana
- Position: Attacking midfield
- Appearances: More than 265
- Goals: More than 60
- Clubs: Southampton, Bournemouth, Liverpool, Brighton & Hove Albion
- Years at Southampton: 2006-2014, 2024-present
Lallana enjoyed a terrific eight-year spell on the south coast to such an extent that the hero of Southampton’s academy even returned to St Mary’s in 2024.
Described as a ‘very unique player’ by former Southampton manager Mauricio Pochettino, the midfielder was a part of the Saints’ League One and Championship promotion-winning sides before becoming the maverick in an eighth-place Premier League season during 2013/14.
The playmaker netted 10 goals whilst laying on eight assists that year before Liverpool secured his signature in a £25m deal. Moving to Merseyside then saw Lallana win the Premier League and the Champions League before injuries reduced his significance.
Theo Walcott
- Position: Right winger
- Appearances: 82
- Goals: 10
- Clubs: Southampton, Arsenal, Everton
- Years at Southampton: 2005-2006, 2021-2023
Theo Walcott played his first organised match for Stevenson at age 10 and netted a hat-trick, which stunned his Dad as he didn’t even know he could play football by his own admission.
“That was the first time we ever watched Theo play a match. He scored a hat-trick and it was a big surprise. Newbury wanted to sign him after that, and I said I didn’t even know he could play football,” Don Walcott once told The Guardian.
Walcott then went on trial with Southampton’s Under-13s and made a big impression, scoring three against Chelsea before signing for the Saints.
His rapid rise to prominence then continued in the Saints’ reserves, before making his first-team debut aged 16 and becoming the youngest debutant in Southampton’s history.
Arsenal even forked out £5m, rising to £12m, to sign the Saints starlet, who initially joined as a scholar before penning a professional contract once Walcott turned 17.
Walcott also went on to net over a century of goals for the north Londoners and picked up 47 caps for England, before a stint at Everton and a return home to Southampton to close out his career.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
- Position: Central midfield, winger
- Appearances: 43
- Goals: 10
- Clubs: Southampton, Arsenal, Liverpool, Besiktas
- Years at Southampton: 2010-2011
Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain was an all-rounder growing up in Southampton’s academy as he even earned a rugby trial from London Irish and a cricket trial from Hampshire. But, ultimately, his dream was to be a footballer, so he continued his development at the Saints after joining aged seven.
But his aspirations were dealt a hammer blow at the age of 15 when coaches told Oxlade-Chamberlain that they didn’t think he could make it due to his height. Yet he proved them all wrong and became the second-youngest debutant in the club’s history – only behind Walcott.
Oxlade-Chamberlain even grew to be 5 ft 11 and filled out his frame, which fast-tracked the versatile engine’s progress, so much so, that Arsenal forked out £15m on his signature in 2011.
The then 17-year-old became one of the most expensive exports in Championship history and enjoyed a successful career with the Gunners and latterly Liverpool.
James Ward-Prowse
- Position: Central midfield
- Appearances: 410
- Goals: 55
- Clubs: Southampton, West Ham United, Nottingham Forest
- Years at Southampton: 2012-2023
Ward-Prowse was a ‘football-mad’ eight-year-old when he first linked up with the Southampton academy.
The midfielder would spend hours in his back garden trying to emulate his hero David Beckham, having been inspired by the Manchester United great’s iconic free-kick for England against Greece.
Ward-Prowse rose through the ranks alongside Shaw and Calum Chambers but he was the first of that talented group to make his senior debut, aged 16.
Ward-Prowse would go on to appear a whopping 410 times for the south coasters, netting over a half-century of goals before West Ham United acquired his signature in a deal worth £30m.
Nathan Tella
- Position: Right winger
- Appearances: 44
- Goals: 3
- Clubs: Southampton, Burnley, Bayer Leverkusen
- Years at Southampton: 2020-2023
Nathan Tella joined Southampton’s academy late in his development as a 17-year-old after spending 10 years with Arsenal.
The Gunners told the fleet-footed forward that he wouldn’t be offered a new deal, so Tella headed down south to fulfil his aspirations of becoming a professional footballer.
With lots of experience already under his belt in the youth game, Tella quickly rose through the ranks at Southampton and made his senior debut in June 2020 during their 3-0 victory against Norwich City.
Yet it was out on loan with Burnley during the 2022/23 campaign when Tella really announced himself, scoring 19 goals whilst laying on five assists to help the Clarets gain promotion from the Championship.
His form meant the Saints had a tough job keeping hold of Tella that summer and, ultimately – despite starting the season and scoring against Plymouth Argyle in the Championship – he left for Bayer Leverkusen in a £20m deal and won the Bundesliga that same season.
Jack Stephens
- Position: Centre back
- Appearances: More than 177
- Goals: More than 5
- Clubs: Plymouth, Southampton, Swindon Town, Middlesbrough, Coventry City, Bournemouth
- Years at Southampton: 2011-present
Southampton signed Stephens from Plymouth Argyle as a 17-year-old for a deal worth £150,000 in 2011.
The promising youngster actually joined as a midfielder but Staplewood coaches saw more potential in Stephens as a central defender.
Stephens made his Saints debut in January 2012, coming off the bench in a 2-1 win against Coventry City in a third-round FA Cup clash. He also headed out on multiple loans before becoming a fixture of their side,
Managers have also tasked Stephens with playing in numerous positions across the Southampton backline to further his terrific versatility. He even became the Saints’ club captain after Ward-Prowse’s departure in 2023.