Southampton FC struck transfer gold where Leeds United couldn't | OneFootball

Sheffield United legend Billy Sharp was a class act for Southampton, but couldn't produce the same form when he was with Leeds United.

Southampton have endured a range of ups and downs in modern times, from Premier League relegations to Championship play-off final triumphs.

The Saints remarkably finished sixth in the top-flight as recently as 2016, but relegation battles soon followed, and they eventually dropped to the second tier in 2023.

Southampton defeated Leeds United in the Championship play-off final in 2024, but suffered immediate relegation from the Premier League under Sport Republic's often questionable ownership.

The St Mary's outfit enjoyed one of the greatest feats in their history in 2012, when they clinched promotion to the top flight just one year after being promoted from League One to the second tier.

Leeds United never saw the best of Billy Sharp, unlike Southampton

English Football League stalwart Billy Sharp is best known for his legendary exploits with Sheffield United, but he also played a key role for Southampton when the Hampshire side won automatic promotion from the Championship in 2012.

He scored nine goals and produced one assist in 15 second-tier appearances for the Saints after joining the South Coast outfit from Doncaster Rovers midway through the 2011/12 campaign.

Sharp would not play another game for Southampton after leaving to join Nottingham Forest on loan in the summer of 2012, before having further loan stints with Reading and Doncaster ahead of a permanent move to Leeds in 2014.

In his short time plying his trade in Saints colours, the striker provided the St Mary's faithful with unforgettable moments, such as scoring on his home debut in a 2-0 victory over Burnley.

He went on to notch a brace in a 2-2 draw with fierce rivals Portsmouth on home soil in April 2012, but most crucially, his efforts helped fire his side to the Premier League for the first time in their history.

Sharp remained an asset in the final third during his loan spell with Forest in the 2012/13 season, scoring 10 goals in 39 Championship appearances for the City Ground club.

Therefore, when Leeds acquired his services on a free transfer in the summer of 2014, following his Southampton exit, the Elland Road outfit had expected great things from a seasoned second-tier dangerman.

However, the former Sheffield United man failed to perform in West Yorkshire, scoring just five goals in 35 appearances across all competitions for the Whites before returning to the Blades for a second and ultimately iconic stint at Bramall Lane.

Leeds United will always look at Billy Sharp's Southampton and Sheffield United exploits with envy

Sharp boasts an impressive EFL CV, which includes winning the League One title with Scunthorpe United and Sheffield United in 2007 and 2017, respectively, as well as the League Two title with Doncaster in 2025.

Meanwhile, Leeds had fallen into relatively difficult times before acquiring the striker in the summer of 2014, having endured three consecutive seasons as a bottom-half Championship outfit.

The Whites had hoped that Sharp could fire them to the Premier League, as he had done with Southampton in the latter half of the 2011/12 campaign.

However, it never happened for the Englishman at Elland Road, as he instead returned to Bramall Lane after just one unsuccessful season in West Yorkshire.

Sharp subsequently became an iconic figure in Sheffield United's history, notching 30 goals and seven assists to help them on their way to the 2017 League One title.

The forward didn't stop there, as in the 2018/19 campaign, he scored the goals that handed the Steel City outfit their long-awaited Premier League return.

Sharp was never prolific for the Blades in the top flight, but the joy he gave the Bramall Lane faithful in both League One and the Championship will never be forgotten by those of a red and white persuasion in South Yorkshire.

Similarly, Southampton supporters will always eagerly remember the key role in the second of their club's back-to-back promotions from the third tier to the Premier League.

However, Leeds were unable to see the best of the journeyman, unlike the Saints.