Southampton's £7.2m masterstroke still divides fan opinions to this day | OneFootball

Following Alan Shearer's miserable exit to Bolton Wanderers, Kevin Davies' slightly similar scenario reminds the Saints of what they lost in sporting terms by cashing in on him.

Alan Shearer is a celebrated Premier League icon and even his slightest mention can't help Southampton fans while puffing their chests with pride. After all, he had been a Saint way before he even carved out a name for himself in the English top-flight.

Though the Saints never claimed the honour of being the best in England, their academy nurturing English football's finest attacker is a commendable recognition in itself.

Yet, Southampton's ecstasy often brings a flurry of agonizing regrets alongside it and Shearer's scenario isn't spared by asterisks. One, which presents a despair of not keeping hold of their iconic number nine for their own sporting benefits.

Whenever a club makes this kind of transfer mess, its fans at least expect them to learn from those experiences. Sadly, Southampton only improved their negotiating abilities and handed another one of their prized assets to Blackburn Rovers.

Southampton fans know forming a rigid transfer opinion on Davies is difficult

That finisher was Saints fan favourite Kevin Davies, who according to Football League World, fetched the club a double transfer paycheck as compared to Shearer.

In terms of the Premier League, Davies was similarly tipped to become another Blackburn superstar for years to come. But, call it fate or bad timing, Davies couldn't justify his lofty price-tag and Southampton appeared relieved to have dodged a transfer bullet.

And why won't they? There are rarely any instances of Southampton claiming the upper hand in transfer moves which already felt like a plethora of repentance in the making.

Unfortunately, the tide again shifted away from Southampton's favour with Davies making amends for his failed Blackburn spell at Bolton.

Overall, Blackburn could be tagged as the ones who had a nightmare time in the Davies saga but Southampton aren't far off from this chaotic accolade either. In fact, the Saints can't even imagine whether their Premier League image could have been crafted better if not for offloading Davies in a panic-stricken manner.