It didn't happen and I'm not going to put myself in the position to even wonder about it. All I can say is that I was slightly concerned for Rickie as he got older and the pace of the Premier League was faster, that he'd cope. Well, it took going to Liverpool, where they have a different attitude, that showed that in a fast paced game, putting Rickie up front is totally the wrong thing to do, and doesn't exploit his skills. Liverpool haven't bothered to accommodate Lambert into their style. It's something Saints would never do and never did.
Saints were either extremely lucky or extremely professional, or a bit of both, to land Graziano Pelle after losing Rickie. They are different players, but they are similar too. And Pelle's story is almost as interesting as Rickie's humble beginnings as to why he couldn't score hat-full's of goals until 2-3 seasons ago. He has everything, but most of all he has someone who has faith in him, which gives him faith and confidence in himself. How he has stayed under the radar after his previous two seasons is astonishing. Pundits go on about the ease of scoring in the Eredivisie, but if you score 55 goals in 65 games [or something like that] for one of the biggest clubs in Holland then you are no mug.
Rickie paid off his fee time and again. I'm full expecting Graziano to do the same. Different players for different eras.