Adam Lallana also told the club he wanted to move on. He had been made aware of Liverpool's interest by then. The club, perhaps understandably, responded with a wall of silence. Phone calls were not returned, attempts to arrange talks, ignored.
Southampton were in denial and both players left for the World Cup frustrated and disillusioned. Both said they had no intention of going back to the south coast.
There was no attempt to persuade Lallana or Shaw to stay. Not once did a club official hold talks with the players to ask them to reconsider, to delay their moves.
Lallana had been the glue which had held the team together. In the dressing room, he was the most popular, a leader who demanded respect and admiration. He joined the club as a 12-year-old and was a key figure as Southampton fought their way back from League One. When word spread that Lallana wanted out, that he was angered by his treatment, others began to question their own futures.
Perhaps most worrying of all, is the fear the discontent might spread to the club's highly regarded academy. The parents of one 15-year-old player have already decided they no longer want their son to stay on at the club amid the uncertainty. The question now, is where will it all end? When will it all stop?
