Middlesbrough and Wolves may have dodged a £9m transfer bullet at Southampton’s expense | OneFootball

Southampton signed Lewis Dobbin for £9m this summer from Aston Villa amid Middlesbrough and Wolverhampton Wanderers interest

Southampton returned to winning ways following their 3-1 thumping of high-flying Swansea City on Tuesday night at St Mary's, though there was one notable absence from the pitch, made by Saints head coach Tonda Eckert.

Southampton continue to march up the Championship table, clawing their way from their -4 point tally and sit just outside of the play-offs, with three wins, two draws, and one defeat in their opening six games.

After a disappointing end to last season, in which they were expelled from the second tier play-offs after being found guilty of spying on opponents, the Saints are looking to put that behind them with a strong year this time around.

Though Shea Charles and Taylor Harwood-Bellis' departures haven't been exactly ideal, the additions of James Ward-Prowse and Keven Schlotterbeck will go some way to replacing them.

Elsewhere, Divin Mubama joined on loan from Manchester City, Zach Abbott arrived on loan from Nottingham Forest, and Lewis Dobbin has joined on a permanent deal from Aston Villa, though the latter hasn't had the start to life he'd have hoped for following his St Mary's switch.

Lewis Dobbin joined Southampton this summer for £9 million from Aston Villa

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Dobbin, 23, joined Southampton this summer for around £9 million plus add-ons after an impressive year on loan at Preston North End, where he scored ten and assisted eight in 39 Championship games for the Lilywhites.

Having begun his career in the youth system of Everton, the forward spent a year on loan with Derby County in League One during the 2022/23 campaign, before joining Aston Villa permanently in the summer of 2024 for around £9 million, with Tim Iroegbunum heading in the opposite direction.

Loans to varying degrees of success with West Bromwich Albion and Norwich City followed, before Dobbin excelled at Deepdale last season, predominantly up top in a strike partnership alongside Daniel Jebbison.

Lewis Dobbin has had a tricky start to life at Southampton

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Since his permanent move to Hampshire, Dobbin hasn't exactly had the start to life he would have been hoping for.

The forward has started just one league game so far, that being the Saints' 2-1 opening day defeat away at Watford, where he was deployed on the left flank before being taken off in the 57th minute.

Since then, he has been limited to just four substitute appearances, failing to directly contribute to a goal, and playing a combined 30 minutes of football across Southampton's last four league games, remaining on the bench for their 3-1 victory over Swansea.

With Leo Scienza almost irreplaceable when fit on the left, Larin the same at centre-forward, and Azaz the same at attacking-midfield, Dobbin faces a difficult task to force his way into Eckert's side.

The Englishman will almost certainly get more opportunities to prove his worth over the course of the season, but as for now, that £9 million fee doesn't appear to have been well-spent, as two Championship rivals may feel as though they have dodged a transfer bullet in this deal.

Middlesbrough and Wolverhampton Wanderers were interested in Lewis Dobbin this summer

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Before his move to Southampton, Dobbin wasn't exactly short on interest from clubs around the Championship following his excellent year on loan from Preston.

Both Middlesbrough and Wolverhampton Wanderers had outlined the 23-year-old as a potential option to reinforce their final third over the summer, but Southampton swooped quickest to lure the forward to the South Coast.

Middlesbrough added the likes of Kyle Joseph, Will Lankshear, Amario Cozier-Duberry, Jeremy Sarmiento, and Myles Peart-Harris to their final third options in the recent window, as head coach Kim Hellberg likely won't be too torn up about missing out on Dobbin now.

Wolves, meanwhile, brought in Raul Jimenez, Rafiki Said, and, most recently, Bertrand Traore, and with Fer Lopez looking like one of the best players to have graced the English second tier already, head coach Cesar Peixoto won't be too disappointed with the Dobbin saga.

Middlesbrough and Wolverhampton Wanderers may have dodged a transfer bullet after Lewis Dobbin's tough start to life at Southampton

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Whilst it hasn't been the best of starts to life at his new club, there are few reasons to believe Dobbin won't come good eventually.

Still only 23, the Englishman is under contract at St Mary's until the summer of 2030, and he will certainly get the chance to justify that £9 million fee before too long.

However, with Cameron Archer written out of plans at Southampton amid being loaned out to Auxerre, there is the chance that Dobbin could suffer a similar fate if not careful, as for now, Middlesbrough and Wolves may feel as though they have dodged a bullet with this one.