Millwall have signed "top player" - Why Will Smallbone didn't deserve Southampton flak | OneFootball

FLW's Saints pundit has been discussing the decision to send Will Smallbone out on loan to Millwall.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Southampton made the interesting deadline day decision to send midfielder Will Smallbone out on a season-long loan deal to Championship rivals Millwall.

It's fair to say that the Saints haven't started the 25/26 season in the fashion that most thought they would.

Yet to truly shake off their Premier League relegation hangover, Will Still's side sit 13th in the second tier upon the arrival of the first international break of the season, having taken just five points from their opening four league games.

They were, however, one of the most active sides in the division in the final days of the transfer window, with a host of players both arriving and departing the club.

"Top player" - Southampton issued Will Smallbone, Millwall loan verdict

One of those Saints players on the move in the final hours of the summer window was midfielder Will Smallbone, who left to join fellow Championship side Millwall on a season-long loan deal.

The 25-year-old Southampton academy graduate started just six Premier League games for the club last season, but in their play-off final-winning campaign of 23/24, the Republic of Ireland international made 50 total appearances for Saints, scoring seven goals and providing four assists.

We asked our Southampton fan pundit, Martin Sanders:

Martin said: "Smallbone? I think he's a top player to be fair.

"He's taken a lot of flak here, way too much flak. He didn't deserve it.

"Good player. He played a massive role the last time they got promoted (23/24), and I'll never forget his goal against West Bromwich Albion in the play-off semi-finals.

"He was magnificent that night, and he was brilliant in the play-off final as well (vs Leeds United). He set the goal up for Adam Armstrong.

"So yes, I think he'll be a miss. He obviously doesn't fit Will Still's style of football, and he's took a lot of unfair flak in his time here, but he's a brilliant footballer.

"And do you know what? He's a great human being. Every time I've met him, his such a nice human. So I wish him all the best.

"Millwall have got themselves a really good player. Massively underrated, and a very solid Championship player."

Smallbone has huge opportunity to send Southampton message with Millwall this season

Whilst he may not have done enough to prove himself as being a Premier League standard player yet with Southampton last season, Smallbone has provided sufficient evidence to categorise him as a classy Championship one.

As aforementioned, he played a vital role in helping the Saints win promotion in 23/24, but he was shining in the second tier prior to that too, as he enjoyed an excellent loan spell with Stoke City in 22/23.

The attacking-minded central midfielder scored three times and registered five assists in 43 league games for the Potters that year.

But it's not just in attack where he's a key contributor, as he's shown himself to be well-versed in the defensive side of being a central midfielder too over the course of his previous two Championship campaigns.

Indeed, in his 23/24 season with Saints, Smallbone ranked in the top 92.4 percentile of Championship central midfielder for pass accuracy (89.7%), 90.2 for chances created (52), and 83.3 for tackles won percentage (69.4%) - per FotMob.

Meanwhile, in his 22/23 campaign with Stoke, he placed in the top 95.6 percentile for chances created (70), 97.4 for tackles won (46), 96.5 for recoveries (198), and no Championship central midfielder made more interceptions than Smallbone's 39 that year - per FotMob.

So, he has a huge chance at The Den to prove his Southampton skeptics wrong, and though he will have to compete with some strong competition for a starting role with the likes of Luke Cundle, Massimo Luongo and Casper de Norre, the Irishman could well establish himself as Millwall's classiest player in the middle of the park.