Southampton's famed academy turns to B team to replace the Under 23 side, as the club which helped develop Gareth Bale, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Adam Lallana switches to European model

Daily Mail | August 5, 2020

Southampton are set to approve a restructuring of their famed academy by replacing their Under 23 side with a senior B team.

The Saints academy has helped develop Gareth Bale, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Adam Lallana and Theo Walcott, and before that the club produced legends Alan Shearer and Matt Le Tissier.

The model of having a senior B team has been used successfully in Europe by Barcelona, Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund.

The Southampton academy which produced Gareth Bale (pic) is changing its structure

The Saints, who also developed Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, will remodel into a B team

If the switch is agreed, as is likely, the training for the B team will mirror the schedule of manager Ralph Hasenhuttl’s first team at the club’s Staplewood headquarters.