Yukinari Sugawara

Sugawara was brought to his Dutch club with the explicit job of eventually taking over from its long serving right back, and he did exactly that, going on to make more European appearances for the side than almost anyone in its history. That kind of development, built around replacing a specific player rather than simply competing for minutes, tends to produce a defender who understands positioning and timing rather than one relying purely on raw attributes. He arrived at Southampton with that education already complete.

Moving from regular European football into an English Championship season is still a significant adjustment, physically and in terms of the schedule's relentlessness. His performances in Dutch football earned him repeated recognition and a place in his country's World Cup squad, which suggests the quality is not in doubt. Whether that translates immediately into weekly Championship form is what Southampton fans will be watching closely.