Southampton's Flynn Downes fires warning to West Ham & Wolves | OneFootball

Flynn Downes has outlined Southampton's belief that they will win the Championship title this season.

Southampton’s Flynn Downes is confident that the team are ‘winning this league’ as he admits the Spygate controversy has helped pull everyone together.

It has been a chaotic few months for Saints, after they were expelled from the play-offs, despite beating Middlesbrough over two legs, after the club admitted spying on Boro, and other Championship sides, in the build-up to games.

That robbed the players of the chance of promotion, and part of the punishment means they will start the 2026/27 campaign on -4 points.

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With West Ham, Wolves and Burnley dropping to the second tier, combined with serious investment from the likes of Middlesbrough, Wrexham and Birmingham, many expect it to be a tough battle for promotion this season, so Saints’ handicap could be problematic.

Flynn Downes shares Southampton insight as they target the Championship title

As well as that, boss Tonda Eckert is still waiting to find out if he will be punished for his role in spygate by the FA, so it hasn’t been the most settled pre-season for the south coast side.

Nevertheless, speaking to the BBC, Downes explained that everything that has gone on has galvanised the group, as he made it clear that they aren’t just looking to go up, but they believe they can win the title.

“The club, players and staff have really come together. It's as if we have a chip on our shoulder and we want to put those wrongs right, we're going [into the season] to win the league this year.

“I know we're starting on minus four points, but our mindset is that we're winning this league and that's it. We had the chance last year but didn't get to [achieve it] for whatever reason but we're looking strong so far.”

West Ham start the season as favourites for the title, which is no surprise, with Wolves ranked as the second best team in the eyes of the bookmakers.

Flynn Downes is right to send a confident Southampton message

The spygate fallout certainly overshadowed Southampton’s rise under Eckert last season, and it may mean some forget just how good they were after the German was appointed.

But, after inheriting a team languishing towards the bottom of the table, Saints averaged over two points a game under Eckert, the sort of form that would normally have you challenging for the title.

As well as that, they reached the FA Cup semi-final, having beaten Arsenal, and they pushed Man City all the way at Wembley.

So, whilst some may see Downes’ comments as arrogant, it’s totally understandable at Southampton that there is a belief they can do something special this season.

Plus, it’s not like they were grinding out results, as they played some fantastic football under Eckert, and, so far, they have managed to keep the core of that group together, which includes signing the influential Daniel Peretz and Cyle Larin on permanent deals after they shone on loan.

Of course, it’s unlikely to worry West Ham or Wolves too much, as they will feel they have the best squads in the league, and with a four-point headstart on Saints, they will fancy their chances of finishing above them.

Saints this season.