Tyler Dibling: Who is Southampton's flying teenage winger?

The praise for Southampton's 18-year-old winger Tyler Dibling has been growing by the week, and few people have been more complimentary than his manager Russell Martin.

“He can do things that not many other players I've ever seen can do and I love working with him,” Martin said after Dibling’s latest eye-catching performance, against Ipswich Town on Saturday. “I love watching him play. I'd pay a lot of money to watch him play football."

Any fan who has bought a ticket to watch Southampton recently will agree that Dibling has provided value for money.

After going viral two years ago for scoring a hat-trick of identical goals for Southampton’s Premier League 2 team, and making the first-team bench at just 16, Dibling is starting to make an even bigger name for himself after becoming the latest product of the club's famed academy to cause a stir at the highest level.

His second-half cameo against Brentford last month lifted Saints late on and included a key pass in the build-up to their consolation goal in the 3-1 defeat. In his first start against Manchester United, Dibling troubled international left-back Diogo Dalot, tricking the experienced defender into fouling him for Southampton’s penalty in the eventual 3-0 loss.

Against Ipswich he enjoyed his best moment yet, scoring his first ever senior goal before Southampton were pegged back by a late equaliser. 

Dibling's goal against Ipswich

In so doing Dibling became the fourth-youngest Premier League goalscorer in the club's history.

His manager, it seems, saw it coming.

Martin said after the match: "I told him yesterday he was going to score his first Premier League goal and he told me it would be one of very many. I love his mentality and I think it will be."

Overall, Dibling has wasted little time in his debut Premier League season showcasing his best attributes - his ability to travel with the ball, his balance and footwork, his eye for a pass in the final third and productivity. 

Impressively for someone who has only made two league starts and is yet to complete a full match, he has produced the most shot-creating actions of all Southampton’s players so far this season, with 15.

He is also ranked fifth in the entire Premier League for shot-creating actions per 90 minutes, with 6.55. Both are clear indicators of his attacking effectiveness.

See more about Tyler Dibling

Those most familiar with the left-footed Dibling say the qualities he is now showing in the Premier League are merely a repeat of those he displayed in academy football.

Dibling joined Southampton from his hometown club Exeter City aged eight and was quickly earmarked within the club as a talent with great potential, who could perhaps follow in the footsteps of academy graduates such as Gareth Bale and Theo Walcott.

What was well-known at Southampton eventually became clearer to a wider audience, firstly when Dibling made his Premier League 2 debut aged just 15 and then when he scored his attention-grabbing treble of carbon-copy solo goals in a PL2 fixture at Newcastle United in April 2022.

“He is one of the shining players in our youth,” said then first-team manager Ralph Hasenhuttl, who rewarded Dibling with a place among his substitutes against Brentford in the Premier League the following month.

“The good thing is that we see how good he is. The bad thing is other clubs are seeing it too,” he added. 

Dibling's PL2 goals against Reading in 2023/24

Dibling would have become Southampton’s youngest player ahead of Walcott, who was 16 years and 143 days old when he made his debut, had he featured that day under Hasenhuttl at Brentford.

As Hasenhuttl feared, though, Dibling was then prised away by Chelsea that summer. Unable to settle, though, Dibling returned to Southampton a couple of months later.

Since then Saints have used their expertise to ensure he could successfully make the all-important transition from youth to first-team football.

Martin has been pivotal in that process too, forging a strong relationship with Dibling following his June 2023 appointment and handing him his senior debut last season.

Dibling's run against Millwall in pre-season

Martin’s belief in Dibling has been evident in the opportunities he has given him this season and how he speaks about him so positively publicly.

Martin is also relishing his role in developing Dibling, fully aware of the need for patience and the support he will require. 

From Dibling, Martin just wants him to keep “taking everything on board” and showing “his courage and willingness to try things on the pitch.” 

“That's the most beautiful thing, the freedom he plays with,” Martin added. “The approach to whoever he's playing against doesn't faze him."