Sunday 14 September 2014 13:25, UK
Morgan Schneiderlin does not feel the busy summer of transfer business at Southampton had an adverse effect on the overall strength of their squad.
France midfielder Schneiderlin was one of the few big names to stay at St Mary's under new boss Ronald Koeman despite seeming to be on his way to Spurs for much of the summer,
Other international stars Adam Lallana, Rickie Lambert, Dejan Lovren left the club for Liverpool, while teenage defenders Luke Shaw and Calum Chambers signed for Manchester United and Arsenal respectively.
But Southampton have made a strong start to the Premier League season, with their 4-0 win over Newcastle lifting them into the top four - and only Liverpool have beaten Koeman's men so far this season.
Schneiderlin scored their final goal against the Magpies - his third in two games - and he feels their squad could even be stronger than last season with the transfer funds having been used on a number of experienced internationals, including goalkeeper Fraser Forster, defender Toby Alderweireld and playmaker Dusan Tadic.
“There were questions about why the club was selling players, but you can see that they brought in some quality players and you can argue now that the team is better than last year," Schneiderlin told the club's official website.
"We still have some things to correct to get even better, but that will come with training this season and from the way that we’ve played in the last two games."
Sometimes in life you have to make choices, and I’m staying here and I’m playing well. Now it’s down to myself to improve my game again and be even better this season.
Schneiderlin is still enjoying life on the south coast despite all the speculation about his future over the summer, and amid fresh press talk that Spurs will return with another offer for him in January.
“I’m fully focused on Southampton,” he added. “Sometimes in life you have to make choices, and I’m staying here and I’m playing well. Now it’s down to myself to improve my game again and be even better this season.
“I’m enjoying that role where I can get on the ball and control the tempo of the game, so that’s good for me and I enjoy it very much. I just do my best for the team."
On his most recent goal, a curling strike into the top corner, he said: "It was a nice finish. A few years ago I may not have kept my composure to score from there, but I’ve worked hard on the training ground to score goals and now it’s reward for that hard work.
“I still have two more to equal my best scoring from a few years ago, but scoring was not so important to me as long as the team is winning - it’s just a plus, and the fact that we managed to do back-to-back wins, which in the Premier League is never easy, is very good."
