Cyle Larin drops bold Southampton claim - West Ham & Wolves fans may disagree | OneFootball

Saints' Canadian forward has issued a rather intriguing take on the makeup of Tonda Eckert's team

Southampton's in-form striker Cyle Larin believes that Tonda Eckert's side are the best in the Championship, even though they have endured a mixed start to the season in terms of results.

Saints are now in the midst of their second successive campaign in the division after being relegated from the Premier League in 2025, having also just come off the back of a first pre-season under Tonda Eckert.

However, it remains to be seen if the Championship promotion hopefuls will be able to call the 2026/27 season their first 'full' term under the German due to the uncertainty which still surrounds St Mary's in the wake of Spygate.

Eckert was charged with misconduct by the FA in July after the EFL initially expelled the South Coast club from last season's play-off final and docked them four points at the beginning of this campaign as a result of their own investigation.

As such, Saints entered this campaign in unprecedented circumstances but have been able to retain a strong core of players, as well as adding to that in the transfer market with further quality and experience, which perhaps leads us to Larin's subjective claim.

Cyle Larin drops bold claim on Southampton's 2026/27 Championship squad

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Despite seeing promotion taken away from their grasp due to off-pitch circumstances, Southampton still gathered plenty of momentum under Eckert post-January, which also coincided with Larin's initial loan switch from RCD Mallorca.

The powerful centre-forward certainly made his mark in the club's promotion push with eight goals in just 16 Championship appearances, before netting twice at the FIFA World Cup 2026 for joint-hosts, Canada, against Bosnia and Herzegovina and Qatar.

After signing permanently for a reported £3m in the summer, Larin has since scored seven goals in as many games at the start of the Championship campaign, including a brace last time out against Bristol City, and he has now issued a bold claim on the strength of the club's squad despite being hit with a four-point deficit.

"I think it's hard for anyone who starts the season on minus-four points," he told Sky Sports. "You're just catching up.

"I think the guys have a good mentality, and as players, we know how good we are.

"The players handled it well and we're slowly getting there. I don't think we're even close to our best yet," the 94-time international claimed.

"It's a long season and when I first came on loan, I think they were 15th, and we had the chance to be in the top two at one point.

"For me, I don't think there's one team that can stop us on our day. I think we're the best team in the league," the forward stated.

West Ham and Wolves fans could disagree with Cyle Larin's Southampton claim

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Whilst Saints fans will admire the confidence oozing in Larin's veins, those of a West Ham United and Wolves persuasion may disagree with such claims - especially those at the London Stadium.

Nuno Espírito Santo's side is also stacked with quality across all areas of the pitch, and it was no surprise that they were earmarked as pre-season favourites for the Championship title.

After a difficult adjustment period, the Hammers are certainly starting to back up such claims, having won their past four matches at an aggregate score of 16-3, which included a 6-0 rout over Wrexham last time out.

Wolves, meanwhile, have also shown extreme glimpses of attacking quality even if their defence has leaked goals on occasions, with the likes of Fer Lopez, in particular, emerging with real credit on an individual scale.

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Eckert himself revealed ahead of last Saturday's win that his main focus was ensuring that his players are kept on track amid the sideshow of the current off-pitch developments.

However, Larin's claim and its potential outcome could hinge on whether the 33-year-old receives any form of severe punishment from the FA, as it is being suggested that an outcome could be given throughout the upcoming international break.

That said, Larin and his teammates are only in control of their destiny on the grass, and he will hope to maintain his electric start to the season against Wrexham on Saturday, especially after Phil Parkinson's side were hit for six on Friday and also shipped five in their last clash with Southampton in April.