The list of players who have achieved great things over the years after graduating from Southampton's academy is a sight to behold.
Gareth Bale, Theo Walcott, James Ward-Prowse, Adam Lallana, Luke Shaw. The trust of saints in youth is well established.
Their newest fast rising star is called Tyler Dibling.
The winger doesn't turn 19 until February, but established himself in the first team under Russell Martin (and his successor Ivan Juric) and has been the bright spot in an utterly miserable season that has seen Saints collect just six Premier League points so far.
Naturally – and not entirely unexpectedly – other clubs at home and abroad have also been informed of his progress. Tottenham and Manchester United have both been linked with the teenager, while RB Leipzig want to sign him and are willing to pay €30 million for the winger.
However, Southampton want significantly more for someone they believe will be a top player. They want to extend his contract beyond the current cap in 2027.
Here, Sky Sports looks at his journey to the Southampton first team and the stats that show just how good he has been so far.
Playing levels higher, a viral hat-trick, then to Chelsea and back
Born in Exeter, Dibling has been on the books of Southampton for the most part since he was eight years old. He was already playing for the club in the U18 Premier League before his 16th birthday – even starting to make his way into Premier League 2 – and earned his first international recognition with the England U16s in December 2021.
He was introduced to the masses in April 2022 when a video of him scoring a hat-trick at St James' Park in Newcastle went viral. It was no ordinary hat-trick; each of his three hits was as close to a copy as possible.
Before the 2021/2022 season was over – a season he finished with a U18 Premier League South championship medal around his neck – Dibling earned a first-team call-up for a trip to Brentford, but within a few weeks he had joined at Chelsea, with a view to signing a professional contract after his 17th birthday in early 2023.
But he couldn't settle down. In fact, after just two games he returned to the south coast after discovering the grass was not greener in the capital.
“Tyler always struggled to adapt to life away from home, even at Southampton, if I'm honest,” says David Horseman, the former head coach of the Saints B team and current Bristol Rovers first-team coach, David Horseman. interview with Sky Sports.
“There are probably other reasons I would speculate about. I don't want to comment on any advice he may have received. He chose to go and it didn't quite work out.
“Chelsea has a great academy; my son was even in it. It's the most unforgiving place because they have so many good players – maybe that just wasn't right for Tyler at the time.”
“That experience could help him in the long term because he probably realized how good he had it at Southampton and how much the club valued him.”
Dibling is getting back on track – and fast
Fortunately for both Dibling and Saints, the blip has not hampered his development.
But Horseman admits the question has been asked whether they should bring him back to the south coast sooner.
“Matt Hale [ex-Saints academy director] deserves the honor of bringing it back. There was some discussion; “We benched him in the Premier League, we played him in the 21s and there weren't many 15-year-olds playing in the 21s,” he added.
“There were a few who said, maybe not because of the culture. But basically the view from Matt, me and a few other people was, you want the best with the best.
“So if you look at the 'class of '92' or the Chelsea academy or the Man City academy, it's the best every day with the best players. You need as many good players as possible because they pull each other through.
“It took a while for him to come back because his ego was bruised and he probably wasn't sure how the boys would receive him.
But they were the best guys. It was great to have Tyler with Sam Amo-Ameyaw, Jayden Meghoma and others; the quality of the training was so good.
“He came back in and had to earn his stripes again with the U18s, which he took on the chin.”
The year 2023 was the year when everything started to drive well for Dibling.
Less than a week after his 17th birthday in February, he signed his first professional contract; an 18-month deal that runs until the summer of 2025.
Two months later, he and his Southampton B teammates were crowned Premier League 2 Division 2 champions.
Four months after that, in August, he was handed his senior debut by Martin. It was just five minutes into a 3-1 defeat to Gillingham in the Carabao Cup, but it was a start.
The 'beautiful footballer' comes to the fore
Dibling played in all seven of Southampton's friendlies and scored in a 3–1 behind-closed-doors win over Montpellier in Girona. It put him – and Amo-Ameyaw – in the shop window, but Martin presented them with a challenge.
“They have an opportunity to make a claim,” he told the Daily Echo. “We have a lot of interest in both players, people are keen to loan them.
“But they have to prove that they are better off staying here and that it is better for them to be here. The ball is completely in their court.”
Horseman says he intended to loan Dibling to Bristol Rovers, but a quick chat with close friend and Saints first-team coach Carl Martin put an end to that idea.
Although Amo-Ameyaw's involvement was largely limited to cup competitions, Dibling was involved from the start.
Introduced after 84 minutes of the 1–0 defeat to Nottingham Forest on 24 August, he was labeled by Martin as Saints' “biggest attacking threat”. He made a full Premier League debut against Manchester United on 14 September. Perhaps it was the fearlessness of youth, but the event did not bother him.
Dibling forced Andre Onana to leap to the right to acrobatically push away a shot after a dazzling run from the right, before Diogo Dalot committed a foul that resulted in a penalty.
Against Ipswich the following week he scored his first professional goal as Saints took their first point. It was joined by 36-year-old Adam Lallana – 17 years and 306 days his senior – marking the biggest age difference between a Premier League scorer and a provider since March 2006.
During his time at the club, Martin had warned that he did not want to increase the pressure on Dibling by talking about his talents, but he could not help but wax lyrical about the teenager.
“He is a beautiful footballer, a truly outstanding talent. He is powerful. He has things that not every player has,” he said before the 5-3 Carabao Cup win over Cardiff, in which Dibling provided two assists.
After the Ipswich match he added: “I like working with him. I like watching him play. I would pay a lot of money to see him play football.”
Three days before he was sacked on 15 December, Martin said: “I've been told rumors about Man Utd, one of them was a £21 million bid. I'm not sure you'll get his left foot for that.”
'Saints' offensive battle keeps Dibling quiet'
Analysis by Sky Sports' Dan Long:
Following Southampton's return to the Premier League, I have been covering games at St Mary's regularly this season and since I first saw Dibling play, focusing on him has become perhaps the thing I look forward to most before a trip to the south coast.
I'm ashamed to admit he wasn't on my radar prior to this season, but I'm so glad he is now – albeit not for six weeks as he recovers from an ankle injury.
He shows no fear as he walks nimbly and menacingly down that right side. His physical presence means he is not easily bullied off the ball. He is the talk of the press room and the fans, both on site and online. His name is cheered the loudest before kick-off.
It's just a shame that Dibling plays on a team that can't catch a break.
The possession-based style that Martin became synonymous with has not worked as brilliantly in the Championship last season and his replacement, Juric, has also failed to win any of the six league games since taking over.
Saints are the lowest scorers in English football's top four divisions, with just fifteen.
Dibling's talent is there for all to see, only his team's attacking struggles are keeping him from really taking the spotlight.
That may be music to the ears of some fans worried that one of their own could leave, although what now seems inevitable relegation will certainly play a role in deciding whether his immediate future lies at St Mary's or elsewhere.
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