Keep Downes. Southampton Need His Fire More Than Ever
The spygate fallout will cost Southampton players this summer. Some will leave because they have Premier League options. Others will go because trust has broken down. But one player who should be staying at St Mary's regardless of what happens around him is Flynn Downes.
The debate about his future is fair enough. His contract runs until 2028, and Southampton paid an initial £15 million for him, rising to £18 million with add-ons. Selling him would not bring in anything like that figure, even though he's had a great season. Terminating his deal would be a waste of a significant investment.
Neither option makes sense. Keeping him does.
What the numbers say
Downes made 38 starts in the Championship this season, scored three goals, played 2,629 minutes and averaged a FotMob rating of 6.89. He picked up 12 yellow cards, which tells you something about both his commitment and his temperament.
Here is how his two recents Championship seasons compare:
Season | Club | Apps | Goals | Assists | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2023-24 | Southampton | 36 | 2 | 3 | 7.12 |
2025-26 | Southampton | 38 | 3 | 0 | 6.89 |
Although, according to fotmob.com, Downes' performance has dropped compared to his 7.12 rating in Southampton's promotion-winning season under Russell Martin, readers should take into account the hard man's stomach illness that plagued him earlier this campaign.
According to Capology, Downes earns £30,000 a week at Southampton, with his contract running until June 2028. For a player of his quality in the Championship, that is a manageable figure. It is not a wage that needs to be shifted in a fire sale.
Saints Marching noted earlier this season that his defensive contributions place him in the top 12% of Championship midfielders, with an 87.7% pass success rate, demonstrating his reliability in possession.
A player who really cares
When Southampton beat Coventry earlier this season, Saints Marching gave Downes an 8 out of 10, noting he made every tackle he needed to make and kept possession well with accurate passing.
Even after he picked up a three-game ban for violent conduct against Swansea, Tonda Eckert publicly defended Downes, saying his midfielder had “no bad intentions“. That kind of loyalty between manager and player will be important if Eckert stays at St Mary's next season.
Saints Marching also highlighted that, since recovering from a stomach illness earlier in the campaign, Downes has shown he can handle back-to-back games within a week, giving the Head Coach the rotation options he needed across a long season.
Southampton start next season on minus four points. The Championship is long, brutal and unforgiving. It demands players who run through walls for the badge and drag the team through difficult patches.
Downes is exactly that kind of player. He is not always pretty to watch. He makes mistakes. He picks up bookings. He wears his heart on his sleeve in a way that occasionally crosses the line.
But Southampton need that fire next season more than they need the money selling him would bring.
Keep Flynn Downes. Let his passion set the tone for what is coming.
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