Southampton’s Championship rival can steal their thunder by picking up this signing

Southampton haven't always splashed the cash wisely.

Indeed, the club record £22m they forked out for Kamaldeen Sulemana in 2022 goes down as a stinging waste of cash, with the Ghanaian attacker only scoring a measly four times for the South Coast club, before leaving for Atalanta in 2025.

Likewise, the £19m splashed out on Guido Carillo is another splurge that makes the Saints wince, looking back, as he never scored for the then Premier League titans, across ten unmemorable appearances.

Fingers crossed, therefore, that the £9m being spent on Lewis Dobbin is a wiser use of resources, and not another costly mistake waiting to happen.

He lit up the Championship last season with Preston North End, so there'll be a lot of excitement in the air about his expensive arrival...

Southampton putting their money where their mouth is with Dobbin

Dobbin was always going to cost a bomb after his sensational 2025/26 season on the books of Preston.

Powering home ten league goals, and contributing to a further eight strikes via assists, the 23-year-old was a joy to behold last campaign at Deepdale, with Dobbin very much living up to the "explosive" label that was once handed to him by his former Norwich City boss in Johannes Hoff Thorup.

Coming off the season of his life, Villa must've known they could cash in on their young talent, and it looks as if the Saints have been brave enough to cough up a high £9m, hoping his red-hot Lilywhites form follows him to the South Coast.

There will be a slight worry that Dobbin could be another expensive misfire, akin to Sulemana and Carillo, when taking his electric 25/26 season out of the equation, as he could only muster up a weak two goals from his previous 27 Championship games, prior to exploding into life at Preston.

Was his spell in Lancashire just a lightning in a bottle moment that will be hard to replicate?

The proof will be in the pudding next season, with the Saints far from being the only club looking at some statement signings, before the new Championship season kicks off next month.

Saints' Championship rivals could steal their thunder

Sheffield United are allegedly looking at Rabbi Matondo this off-season, who is a gung-ho winger style of player, like Dobbin.

If the Blades were to pick up Matondo, who is currently on the roster of SK Brann, it could take away from Southampton's thunder with the ex-Everton forward, with the Wales international once worth £11m, when Schalke took a punt on the former Manchester City starlet in 2019.

Since moving to Germany for that lavish amount, the 25-year-old has had a varied career to say the least, with goals tucked away in the Bundesliga, the Jupiler Pro League, and even in the Scottish Premiership with Rangers.

Further scoring in a Champions League qualification game for the Gers, it's clear that Matondo is a very high quality player on his day, and he will want to show off his skills in the Championship, if a move to Chris Wilder's men materialises.

While Dobbin is the flavour of the month at the moment, United winning a player who has 15 Wales caps, and has played in the illustrious Champions League, would steal more headlines, as the big spending continues all over the intense second tier.

So many teams could be in and around the promotion spaces next season, as Wilder aims to guide the Blades back to the Premier League, with statement signings such as Matondo, next to Eckert and Co.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow