The rise of Tyler Dibling: Why Southampton's wanted winger is the 'antidote to robotic, structured & predictable football'

"Tyler has uniqueness. In a world and industry which is becoming more commercialised, over sanitised, robotic, structured and predictable, Tyler's greatest strength is the opposite to all of that."

That's quite the sell for Southampton's 19-year-old midfield star Tyler Dibling, especially given his basic Premier League career numbers amount to 25 appearances, 1540 minutes played, two goals and zero assists.

But that gushing description from one senior source at the club, speaking to BBC Sport anonymously, hints at an emerging talent interesting a host of top clubs and why there are some unsubstantiated reports of a £100m price tag on his head.

With the Saints facing an immediate relegation back to the Championship, Dibling's future is likely to be one of the summer's more interesting sagas, with Manchester United, Arsenal, Tottenham and Bayern Munich all reportedly chasing his signature.

Another source close to the club suggested Southampton turned down previously unreported bids of £35m from Tottenham and £30m from RB Leipzig in January, with the club valuing Dibling at £55m at the start of the winter window.

Southampton have not commented on those rumours, but what is known is that Dibling is one of the lowest paid players in Southampton's squad and has a deal that expires in 2027, after Southampton triggered a 12-month extension option.

He signed his last contract in December 2023, when he had played just five minutes of senior football.

The England Under-21 international has so far resisted the club's offers of a new deal in what has been a breakthrough season for him, despite a wretched campaign which could still see Southampton relegated with the Premier League's lowest ever points total.

Dig a little deeper into Dibling's stats, and his ball-carrying distance per game (207.3m), his total dribbles attempted (83), and his total dribbles completed (40) put him in the top 20 Premier League players.

His dribbles completed per game (2.34) and fouls won per game (2.57) place him in the top 10.

"He's the most fearless player I've ever worked with," former Saints Under-21 head coach Adam Asghar tells BBC Sport.

"He's totally unique to anything I've seen before. He's got raw physicality, pace and power, is an unbelievable ball-carrier and is always impacting games.

"In a generation of football where it's very much about limited touches and moving the ball quickly Tyler can move it as quickly by carrying the ball rather than passing it and that's what makes him such a special talent.

"Every game (with the Under-21s) he would always have four or five moments that would almost take your breath away.

"He is really sure of his ability. He wouldn't be fazed by the opponent or situation, he played with fearlessness."

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