Southampton manager Ronald Koeman has expressed his belief that his side are blazing a trail for the smaller clubs in the Premier League.

The Saints are currently third in the table, despite being tipped for a season of struggle before the campaign began.

Koeman, whose side are now looking to secure a Champions League place, thinks that the South Coast outfit can inspire the rest of the pack to chase the league's big spenders too.

"Normally the big teams have the most possibilities to have the best players, but it would be good that a team out of that will fight for a high position," he told the Daily Star.

"Last season it was Everton, who were fighting for that position. It looks like now that we are the team who will fight for that position.

"That's good because it makes changes and it's good for the rest of the clubs. That's the achievement of the whole club who makes that great."

Southampton beat Queens Park Rangers 1-0 on Saturday thanks to a stoppage-time goal from Saido Mane.