Southampton boss sends Newcastle United scouts defiant transfer message after landmark achievement

Southampton boss Russell Martin has urged teenage wonderkid Tyler Dibling to simply focus on football this season amid reports linking the England Under-19 starlet with a sensational move to St James’ Park in January.

Dibling, who made his Premier League debut against Newcastle United in August, is a player that the Magpies have had their eye on for a number of years.

The 18-year-old notably caught the attention of the Newcastle hierarchy in April 2022 when he scored a hat-trick against Mark Gillespie in a Premier League 2 game against the Magpies. Dibling went viral on social media that same evening for the way he seamlessly glided by players and controlled proceedings at such a young age.

At the time, Dibling was the subject of interest from Newcastle and Chelsea when his contract expired that summer, but it was ultimately the Blues who won the race for his signature.

However, amid wholesale changes at Stamford Bridge under the ownership of Todd Boehly - Dibling found it hard to settle in West London, and after making just two appearances for the club’s under-18 side, surprisingly returned to Southampton in September 2022 and signed a long-term contract until 2026.

At the time, Dibling described Southampton as feeling like ‘home’ and his career has been on an upwards trajectory ever since, with the midfielder establishing himself as a key player for England’s Under-17 and Under-18 teams in recent years. Dibling made his first league appearance last term when he replaced Ryan Fraser during a 4-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday in January and is now emerging as a first team regular after a strong showing in pre-season.

This season, Dibling has racked up five league appearances and impressively scored his first professional goal during a 1-1 draw with Ipswich Town last weekend. HITC Sport understands that Newcastle had scouts in attendance for the occasion, but adds that Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are also keeping an eye on the situation.

Martin admits that it is inevitable that club’s will again show interest in Dibling given his talents at such a young age, but has told the teenager to simply focus on his football at this time and ignore the outside noise.The ex-Swansea City boss claimed that the midfielder was the subject of several rejected bids during the summer transfer window and states the club will do their best to keep him long-term.

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 have 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 where he went so he came back. I think he understands we 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.”