Southampton FC can replace £40m Tyler Dibling for £0 - here is how | OneFootball

Southampton FC have turned down a series of offers for Tyler Dibling despite having a ready-made replacement raring to go.

Although Southampton's Tyler Dibling is unlikely to be at St Mary's at the end of the summer transfer window, it seems that they have a ready-made replacement in the form of another 18-year-old academy graduate who is fresh off the Saints' Staplewood production line.

When Tyler Dibling burst on to the Premier League scene less than 12 months ago, not even the most ardent of Southampton fans would have predicted that the 19-year-old academy graduate would now be worth upwards of £40 million.

As Southampton hold out stubbornly for their asking price (not the first time they have done so this summer) in response to three reported offers from Everton, there aren't many connected with the club who think Dibling will still be a Southampton player after the summer transfer window closes.

According to reports, Everton have tabled an increased bid of £40 million plus add-ons which Southampton have countered with their own offer as talks continue. The Saints have demanded £45 million plus £5 million in easy-to-achieve add-ons, according to David Ornstein.

Dibling failed to make an impact after a promising start

Having started the season well, the 19-year-old winger found it difficult to make an impact in a struggling team. In 20 Premier League games, Dibling only contributed two goals and zero assists.

From seven pre-season matches, Dibling has amassed just 150 minutes despite looking fit and well enough to play. When he has played, his form has been good, but he has not been the standout player in any of the warm-up matches by some distance.

The loss of Dibling will leave a creative vacuum in Southampton's midfield impossible to replace. His counter-attacking at pace has been such an asset that there is no way that the south-coast side could ever replace him. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Enter... Jay Robinson.

The Southampton Academy system has worked its magic once again to produce an 18-year-old graduate who many believe could be just as good as Dibling, if not better.

Jay Robinson is technically still part of Southampton's under-21 squad. However, his performances at the tail-end of last season in a struggling side have given rise to great optimism in and around the club.

18-year-old Robinson was introduced to first-team action at the tail end of last season under interim manager Simon Rusk. Coming off the bench, he saw a single minute of action before getting a full half-hour in the Saints' 2-0 defeat to Leicester at the King-Power Stadium. Replacing Kamaldeen Sulemana, Robinson looked bright, earning Saints a corner late on as he put pressure on the Leicester defence.

22 minutes at Everton followed as Rusk made a point of giving Robinson some more experience of Premier League action, but again Saints went down 2-0 in what was Everton's final match at Goodison Park.

Robinson impressed under the watchful eye of Still

Under the watchful eye of the incoming manager, Will Still, Robinson was given his first Premier League start in Southampton's final game of the season at home to Arsenal. He performed well on the right and played 79 minutes of the match. Ultimately, Southampton went down 2-1, conceding a Martin Odegaard winner late on.

Saints manager, Will Still, has gone on record as saying that he anticipates that some of the club's youngsters will feature this season. He told FLW after the pre-season clash with Eastleigh: “If you're good enough, you'll play. And if you want to play, then there's an opportunity there for everyone, whether you're 16 or 36. Just be the best version of yourself and you'll be on the pitch.”

The youngster was Southampton's stand-out player in the opening warm-up match against local National League side, Eastleigh. In the most recent friendly, against Premier League Brighton and Hove Albion, Robinson provided the goal that got his side back in the game when they were 2-0 down. Then, he was instrumental in the attack that ultimately led to Saints winning a penalty from the resulting corner to make it 2-2.

In Robinson, Southampton have unearthed another unbelievable talent. He is a skillful, technically brilliant manipulator of the ball. He has pace to burn and can beat a player from a standing start. His vision in tight areas enables him to see a pass that nobody else can, and he has the passing ability to thread balls through the eye of a needle. Holding a mirror up to his Southampton coach, Robinson loves to receive the ball on the half-turn just like Adam Lallana used to in his heyday.

If Robinson turns out to be half the player Adam Lallana was, then they have unearthed a gem.