Southampton have an option to extend Tyler Dibling’s contract, so they are under no pressure to sell quickly, but the club are keen to reward the teenager’s performances with an increased salary and this is where the problem lies.
Russell Martin has spoken to the media before of Sunday’s game against Tottenham Hotspur, and he has addressed media speculation surrounding Tyler Dibling, including claims of big club vultures circling.
Dibling’s current contract expires in July 2027, and there appears to be an option to extend it, so our next Academy prodigy will be virtually committed to the Saints until July 2028, which is another 3 1/2 years.
We all know that contracts imply nothing in terms of keeping a player; all they do is increase the transfer value if there are a few years remaining.
Sky Sports has quoted Russell Martin as saying:
“I heard various reports regarding Manchester United, including a £21 million bid.
“I’m not sure you’ll get his left foot for that.”
“We’ve offered him a deal that’s really good for someone his age.
“At the moment, I don’t think his agency agrees, so that’s where we stand.
“I believe Tyler wants it done, as do Tyler’s parents, so we’ll see how long it takes.”
“There’s a choice. We can extend. I don’t believe we want to do that; we want to recognize Tyler for his efforts.
“I’ve spoken to Tyler’s mum and dad about it, I’ve spoken to Tyler, but then I’m not involved in any of the negotiations – that’s down to Phil [Parsons, Southampton’s chief executive] and the gang, the owners and Tyler’s agent – and that’s where it gets tricky.”
So it appears that the deal is stalling through another greedy agent, we know from history that Dibling and his parent’s have always put his playing career over money, back in 2022 he had gone to Chelsea, but returned to St Mary’s within weeks after realising that Chelsea did not offer a clear path to the first team and that he would be part of a far bigger production line where playing for Chelsea’s first team would be very difficult and that initially after a year or two.
He did not want that path; he wanted a career in football over money, and according to Martin’s comments, that is still the case; however, it appears that his agent disagrees and would rather see him move on for the money, even if it means he will no longer be a regular in the Premier League.
Dibling has been likened to Jack Grealish in terms of style of play, and it is worth noting that Grealish was patient in his development, focusing on success on the pitch rather than money.
He spent a season on loan with Notts County at the age of 18 and began to play in the Aston Villa first team upon his return, but he would have to wait until he was 20 before becoming a regular. When Villa were relegated in 2016, most expected him to leave for a bigger club in the Premier League, but he remained loyal even though it took Villa three seasons to return to the top flight.
After two seasons back in the Premier League, similar to Matthew Le Tissier, he moved to Manchester City as he approached his 26th birthday, having laid the basis to establish himself in a really top-tier squad.
Tyler Dibling is ahead of Jack Grealish in terms of career progression, and he has the ability to greatly outperform Grealish’s career, both at club and international levels.
So, individually, he is at a crossroads: should he follow his head and heart and prioritize his career on the pitch over his financial balance, or should he listen to his agents and chase the money?
He is currently with a German company called Roof, which has 135 players on their books, with Kai Havertz being the most valuable at £75 million. Other Premier League stars include Virgil Van Dyke and Harvey Elliot, and Bournemouth appear to have done a lot of business with them, as three of their first-team squad are on Roof’s books.
A quick look at their book reveals that they primarily feature German players, with the majority being either young, like Dibliing, or elderly, like Van Dyke.
They do not appear to have much experience dealing with high-profile transfers; they have only 16 players on their books worth more than £20 million, while about 100 of their roster are worth less than £10 million.
So it appears that Tyler Dibling could be a financial goldmine for them, and we will soon find out whether they are agents that prioritize their athletes’ professions or urge them to pursue money.
From Dibling’s perspective, I believe it would be better for him to sign a new contract at Saints and gain some financial security now; he is effectively tied to the club for the next 3 1/2 years on a deal based on being a 16-year-old starlet; signing a new contract for more money will not harm his chances of a transfer in the future; he has the talent to succeed at the highest level; clubs will be bidding for him, and money will be no object.
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