Put simply, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur have been miles off their usual respective standards this season.
Both sides are already looking to next season with rumours suggesting it could cost up to £100 million to steal their latest attacking target away from Southampton.
As for the Saints, their return to the Premier League has been torrid. Southampton have won just two games, and are currently battling to ensure they do not match Derby County’s record of the worst Premier League points tally of all time – 11.
Tyler Dibling could cost over £100 million
Championship football will undoubtedly be played at St Mary’s next season, but Southampton could even struggle in England’s second division if they are to lose their best young talent.
Tyler Dibling has been the one shining light for Southampton this season, making 30 appearances all season, and contributing to six goals.
The 19-year-old’s performances have attracted the attention of the biggest clubs in Europe, with The Telegraph revealing that Southampton may demand an absurd fee of more than £100 million for Dibling.
The extortionate fee would make Dibling the third most expensive teenager of all time, with only Joao Felix (£106m) and Kylian Mbappe (£150m) sold for over £100 million.
In fact, only nine players in football history have cost over £100 million, meaning Dibling would instantly sit in the top-ten most expensive footballers of all time if Manchester City or Spurs were to break the bank for the Englishman.
Dibling’s rumoured admirers also include Manchester United, Bayern Munich, and RB Leipzig, with the Saints set to sell the youngster given their all-but-certain relegation from the Premier League this year.
Whilst his statistics do not match the price tag, Dibling’s potential is clear. His dribbling has threatened full-backs across the country all season, and he can play in attacking midfield and on the wing.
Whether Dibling is the long-term successor to Jack Grealish at Manchester City or Son Heung-Min, who is the third-most expensive Asian player of all time, at Spurs, remains to be seen. What is clear is that Dibling is a young English forward with huge ability.
In FourFourTwo’s opinion, it is therefore unsurprising that Southampton are demanding such a high fee. With relegation a certainty the Saints will want to ensure they have money to spend if they are to return straight back to the Premier League at the end of next season.
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