One of the few positives of Southampton's return to the Premier League has been the rise of young forward Tyler Dibling. Dibling made his first appearance for the Saints in the Premier League against Newcastle United, where he came on as a second half substitute in a 1-0 away defeat. A few weeks later, Dibling made his first Southampton start in a 5-3 Carabao Cup win over Cardiff City, and gave a match-winning performance with two assists.
The 18-year-old has gone strength to strength since then, and his impressive displays against Manchester United and his goal against Ipswich Town has established his role as a starter in the first team. Moreover, several Premier League clubs such as Manchester United and Newcastle United are huge admirers of his talent and may look to convince him to accept a move away from the St. Mary's Stadium at the end of the season. These speculations will increase further if the Saints couldn't avoid relegation this season, as they had to sell promising talents such as Romeo Lavia and Tino Livramento last year when Chelsea and Newcastle United agreed to pay a significant transfer fee for them.
Russell Martin reveals club’s stance on growing interest in Southampton star
However, last week manager Russell Martin revealed Southampton's stance on the massive interest in Dibling, saying,
"The speculation is nothing for him or me. We are in a strong position and I'm sure we will look at securing and strengthening that even more."Tyler Dibling
Martin highlighted that the promising forward will stay with the Saints for the upcoming years, who already has two years remaining on his current Southampton contract. Thus, the club is trying to keep hold of the right-wing prodigy, but the overall performance of the team should improve so as to agree a new long-term contract with him to secure his future at the St. Mary's Stadium.
Southampton have taken only one point from their first six matches, and now face a huge away fixture against Arsenal before going into the international break.