Ronald Koeman's combined Everton and Southampton signings XI
Wednesday 23 November 2016 17:48, UK
Ronald Koeman will return to Southampton for the first time as Everton travel to St Mary's on Super Sunday.
The Dutchman spent two successful years with the Saints before swapping the south coast for Merseyside over the summer, and a host of his acquisitions are still playing key roles at his former club.
But who were Koeman's top signings at both Southampton and Everton? Here, we take a look at his best XI...
Goalkeeper: Fraser Forster, £10million (Southampton)
Forster was one of Koeman's first signings at Southampton, arriving from Celtic just before the start of the 2014/15 season to become their No 1 goalkeeper.
The 28-year-old has since cemented his place in the England squad, and kept a host of clean sheets in the process.
Right-back: Cedric Soares, £4.7m (Southampton)
Signed from Sporting Lisbon in the summer of 2015, Cedric had a big gap to fill following the departure of Nathaniel Clyne to Liverpool, and impressed in fits and bursts in his debut campaign.
The right-back, however, played a key role in Portugal's Euro 2016 triumph after breaking into the team at the last-16 stage, and returned after a six-week lay-off to help the Saints keep a clean sheet against Liverpool last weekend.
Centre-back: Ashley Williams, £12m (Everton)
Williams was finally snatched away from Swansea over the summer, with Koeman convincing the Wales captain to join him at Goodison Park.
Everton have struggled defensively at times this season, though, with Williams and Co managing just three clean sheets so far.
Centre-back: Virgil van Dijk, £13m (Southampton)
Another player to arrive at St Mary's from Celtic, Van Dijk has been one of the outstanding defenders in the Premier League since joining at the start of last season.
The 25-year-old has formed an imperious partnership with club stalwart Jose Fonte, and has also broken into the Netherlands squad.
Left-back: Ryan Bertrand, £10m (Southampton)
Bertrand initially joined Southampton on loan at the start of Koeman's tenure, but performed so well that the deal was made permanent midway through the 2014/15 season.
Signed to replace Luke Shaw, the former Chelsea left-back has also become a regular fixture in the England squad as back-up to Danny Rose.
Centre midfield: Oriol Romeu, £5m (Southampton)
Romeu featured regularly during Koeman's final season in charge at Southampton, but has flourished this campaign since Victor Wanyama left for Tottenham.
The defensive midfielder has been an ever-present in the Premier League so far in 2016/17, helping them keep four clean sheets in 12 games.
Centre midfield: Idrissa Gueye, £7.1m (Everton)
Despite playing for Aston Villa during their miserable relegation campaign last season, Gueye showed more than enough to suggest he was worthy of his place in a Premier League midfield, and kicked off his Goodison Park career with a string of superb performances.
He has missed just one game so far for Everton this season, and his absence told as they were thumped 5-0 at Chelsea.
Attacking midfield: Dusan Tadic, £10.9m (Southampton)
Tadic became Koeman's first signing at Southampton following his arrival in 2014, and has become a creative force at St Mary's since.
Signed to replace Adam Lallana following his move to Liverpool, Tadic announced himself early on with a goal and four assists during an 8-0 drubbing of Sunderland.
Right wing: Sadio Mane, £10m (Southampton)
Mane arrived at Southampton as a little-known winger from Red Bull Salzburg, but scored a highly-commendable 25 goals in 75 games during his two seasons at St Mary's before earning a move to Liverpool.
He also broke Robbie Fowler's record for the quickest hat-trick in Premier League history, netting three goals in just two minutes and 56 seconds in a 6-1 win over Aston Villa in May 2015.
Left wing: Yannick Bolasie, £28m (Everton)
Bolasie arrived at Everton as Koeman's marquee purchase last summer, and the ex-Crystal Palace winger has largely hit the ground running, forming an impressive partnership with Romelu Lukaku in attack.
The 27-year-old has managed just one goal so far, but has created four for team-mates in the Premier League this season.
Striker: Charlie Austin, £4m (Southampton)
Austin almost justified his transfer fee alone by coming off the bench to score the winner against Manchester United at Old Trafford in January.
Injuries limited him to just six further appearances under Koeman, but he has been in superb form under Claude Puel this season, netting eight times in all competitions so far.
