Tyler Dibling has the talent but is an instant Premier League return the right move for him?

New York Times

15 hours ago

When the Championship season got underway over the weekend, one of the most talented young players in the country wasn't involved.
England Under-21 international Tyler Dibling was not injured or suspended. Instead, a player once said to have been valued at £100million was left out by new Southampton manager Will Still because he was 'not in a headspace' to feature.
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'There are a few players who are where they're at in their career and making choices,' Still told ITV Sport when asked about Dibling, while also referencing Samuel Edozie and Joe Aribo, who didn't play in the 2-1 win against Wrexham on Saturday.
Dibling, 19, is the subject of intense interest from Everton who have seen a couple of bids turned down, the latest being worth £40million ($54m) including add-ons. Southampton have made a counter-proposal of £45m plus £5m in add-ons and a 25 per cent sell-on clause, a package that might be too rich for Everton's blood.
Everton are more confident of bringing Jack Grealish to Hill Dickinson Stadium, which is a little ironic given how much Dibling is reminiscent of Grealish at his free, flying best while at Aston Villa.
The pulled-down socks lend themselves to the comparison but Dibling is also Grealish-esque in the manner of his gliding, jinking running style. Able to beat a man with the nonchalant drop of a shoulder, there's a bit of Chris Waddle about them, too.
Ball-carrying is his outstanding attribute but anyone who saw Dibling often single-handedly carry a dreadful Southampton team up the field last season will have spotted how fearless, tenacious, inventive and almost impudent he was when taking the game to the opposition.
Dibling made 20 Premier League starts, mostly from the right wing but also as an attacking central midfielder, showcasing the talent that had already been evident for many years on the south coast, including when he scored a hat-trick of near-identical goals for Southampton's B team against Newcastle in a 4-2 Premier League 2 win three years ago.
6: ⚽️33: ⚽️40: ⚽️
Take it away, Tyler Dibling 👏 pic.twitter.com/aZDhWNbk56
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) April 25, 2022
Dibling is keen to return to the top flight and has also earned admirers at Newcastle United and Aston Villa.
Even in the second tier, Dibling's contract running until 2027 means the ball is in Southampton's court. They will not be minded to accept anything less than a premium price for one of English football's most exciting young talents.
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The situation leaves Dibling at a career crossroads for the second time in his young career.
A couple of months after he was named on the bench for a Premier League game as a 16-year-old by former Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl, Chelsea enticed Dibling to London before Southampton could offer professional terms when Dibling turned 17.
In July 2022, via a lucrative financial package that Southampton couldn't match, Dibling moved to Stamford Bridge. However, the shy 16-year-old struggled to adapt to his new big-city surroundings and was said to have felt like 'an outsider'.
By the end of August, having played just two games, Dibling returned to Southampton on reduced terms, with credit due to both clubs for facilitating the move, given the difficulties a homesick teenager was experiencing.
'You have international after international from the first team down to the under-15s at Chelsea, and it is a ruthless environment,' former Southampton B-team coach David Horseman told The Athletic in 2022. 'Tyler wasn't ready for it.'
Three years on, he looks set to move on again, but Southampton might ask whether the time is right for Dibling, who first joined their academy at eight years old, to fly the nest.
Everton and their manager David Moyes have a history of moulding, trusting and nurturing young talents, so Dibling would likely get more playing time there than he would at other top-flight clubs, such as, well, Chelsea.
But would Dibling benefit more from a year in the Championship, consistently playing week in, week out, in what is likely to be a winning team?
Dibling may be worth £40m but he is still at the very start of his professional career, with only 2,404 minutes of senior football (in the Premier League and domestic cups) under his belt, the equivalent of just 26 full 90-minute matches.
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Many young English players honed their games in the second tier, not least Grealish with Villa, but also Morgan Gibbs-White, who flourished on loan at Sheffield United in 2021-22, and Mason Mount, who came to prominence during a fabulous season with Derby County in 2018-19 before winning the Champions League with Chelsea two years later.
Dibling also has plenty to improve in his game, particularly his end product.
There are still three weeks left in the window and all parties will want a solution sooner rather than later.
'Ty's just not in a headspace and not in a place that allowed him to get on the pitch today,' Southampton boss Still said on Saturday.
'I thought that Ty wasn't quite there and I understand it. He's still young and there's a lot going on, so we will see how that goes.
'If nothing happens, then he will be a part of what we want to do and be important as well, but time will tell. It's standard transfer window stuff.'
Dibling and those around him have to work out where his potential will be maximised, a crucial decision.
'Sometimes it's better to stay in an environment where you feel at home and where everybody does everything for you,' former Southampton manager Hasenhuttl told reporters after Dibling had returned in 2022. 'There's a reason, in England, you say the grass is not always greener somewhere else.'
Will Hasenhuttl's words be prescient once more or will Dibling show he is ready to leave home?
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