'He's ours' - Southampton boss goes on defensive after star linked with Newcastle United & Manchester United
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Southampton manager Russell Martin has confirmed the Saints have rejected bids for youngster Tyler Dibling amid reports linking the England Under-19 star with a move to Newcastle United.
The 18-year-old has been on the Magpies radar for a couple of years and has already shown what he can do at St James Park after scoring a stunning hat-trick past Mark Gillespie as the Saints Under-21s eased to a 4-2 win over their United counterparts in April 2022. Despite links with a move to Tyneside during the following summer, it was Chelsea that landed a player tipped to succeed at the highest level - but Dibling’s stay at Stamford Bridge proved to be a short one as he returned to Southampton just three months later.
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Hide AdDibling’s progress was rewarded with a first senior appearance when he came off the bench as a late substitute in a Carabao Cup defeat at Gillingham in August last year before a league debut came in January when he replaced former Newcastle winger Ryan Fraser in a 4-0 win against Sheffield Wednesday. After a promising pre-season campaign, Dibling came off the bench to make his Premier League debut in the opening day defeat at Newcastle last month and grabbed his first professional goal just 24 hours after being linked with the Magpies in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Ipswich Town.
HITC report that Newcastle, alongside Premier League rivals Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, had scouts in attendance as the Saints drew with their current relegation rivals. Speaking after that game, Saints boss Martin reacts to speculation surrounding Dibling’s future and urged the youngster to ‘focus on football’ rather than getting carried away with transfer talk.
Speaking after Saturday’s home draw with Ipswich, Martin told The Daily Echo: “When you’re 18 and you play in the Premier League to the level he’s played at, I think every club in the world probably looks at you. He’s ours. The club has turned down bids for him since I’ve been here, so he’s not a secret to people who have been watching under-21s football. He left the club and didn’t enjoy it where he went so he came back. I think he understands we all just want the best for him and he has a great support network around him that we are in constant contact with.
“We have to make sure he keeps enjoying it and we play in a style that he can really flourish and thrive in. The (transfer) speculation is nothing for him or for me. We are in a strong position. I’m sure we will look at securing that and strengthening that even more because if he carries on doing what he’s doing then he will deserve that. He just needs to focus on football and concentrate on doing what he’s doing and keep improving as a player and as a young man.”
Dibling will be back in action when Southampton visit Bournemouth next Monday night.
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