Duje Ćaleta-Car says he ‘suffered a lot’ during his time at Southampton.
Thursday’s edition of Mundo Deportivo has an interview with the centre-back, who talks about his time at Southampton.
The centre-back joined the Saints from Marseille in September 2022 and signed a four-year contract at St Mary’s. Ralph Hasenhüttl was in charge at Southampton, who were then in the Premier League.
Hasenhüttl left the club and Nathan Jones replaced him in November 2022. Rubén Sellés then took over from the latter in February 2023, and Ćaleta-Car couldn’t find space under the Spaniard or Jones.
Struggled at Southampton
The defender played 944 minutes from 13 league matches in his debut season for Southampton, who dropped to the Championship.
He returned to France when Lyon signed him on loan in August 2023 and made his stay permanent a year later. The former Southampton man failed to feature regularly for the Ligue 1 side last season.
This again resulted in a loan move to Real Sociedad in August 2025. Prior to the 29-year-old’s transfer to the La Liga side, Sport Witness covered claims from France he could be tempted to join Sunderland, but that didn’t happen.
Ćaleta-Car doesn’t regret Southampton move
Mundo now say this time at Southampton ‘wasn’t easy, with relegation and some tough moments.’ The newspaper asked Ćaleta-Car why it didn’t work out for him in England.
Responding to that, he said: “It was the hardest year for me. We were relegated, and when you’re relegated, you feel like you’ve wasted a year, like you haven’t accomplished anything.
“It was a bad year personally. I didn’t play much, I wasn’t important. Southampton replaced experienced players with new ones, and the Premier League is tough. I suffered a lot.
“Sometimes I still think about it, but I learned a lot. I saw what English football was like from the inside, the atmosphere in the stadiums, how things work at those clubs. I don’t regret going there.”
On feeling the most pressure in his career, Ćaleta-Car explained: “The Marseille fans were the biggest and most demanding. They’re very passionate, and the atmosphere is crazy. I was there for four years. I learned a lot from that club. There’s a lot of pressure. If you don’t win, the players suffer and lose confidence. It’s a big club and you have to deal with it. You’re there, it’s your job, and you have to perform.”
