Russell Martin is reshaping his squad ahead of next season in the hopes of securing promotion to the top-flight immediately after the drop to the Championship.
Southampton’s squad have been joined by Smallbone, who is back at the club after spending a season on loan at Stoke City.
The midfielder is a Saints’ academy graduate, signing his first professional contract with Southampton in 2017 and he got his first opportunity to feature for the Saints’ first team in 2020.
Smallbone stated that last year his goal was to play as many minutes as possible at Stoke and he indicated that this season his aim is to be the best version of himself for Southampton.
He added that his experience with the Potters in the Championship could help the Saints this season.
Smallbone told the Daily Echo: “Coming back I want to give the best version of myself on the pitch and give myself the best chance going forward into the season.
“Last year my main focus was to play for Stoke and to play as many minutes and to give the best version as I could for them as a club.
“Now coming back, it’s the same thing and I’m looking forward to trying to play as many games as possible.
“Looking through the team we haven’t really got an abundance of Championship experience.
“Whatever I can bring from my own experiences last season can hopefully help the team.”
The 23-year-old midfielder was a cornerstone in Stoke City’s midfield last season, featuring in 43 games in the Championship.
