Southampton fans must not call £7m star a complete flop - yet | OneFootball

It has been a tough start to life at Southampton for Damion Downs, but he must not be written off by supporters just yet.

Southampton were billed as one of the promotion favourites in the Championship this season, but it is fair to say it has not been the start that Will Still's side would have hoped for.

Southampton were relegated from the Premier League last season with a dismal total of just 12 points to their name, but after the appointment of Still in the summer, optimism was high that he was the right man to rebuild the club after his impressive work in France with Reims and Lens.

As was expected after relegation, there were a number of high-profile exits at St Mary's this summer, including the likes of Aaron Ramsdale, Jan Bednarek, Mateus Fernandes, Tyler Dibling, Kamaldeen Sulemana and Paul Onuachu, but Still was given strong backing in the transfer market by owner Dragan Solak.

In total, the Saints brought in nine new signings this summer, with George Long, Mads Roerslev, Elias Jelert, Joshua Quarshie, Caspar Jander, Finn Azaz, Tom Fellows, Leo Scienza and Damion Downs joining the club, and after their eye-catching transfer business, many believed that Still had one of the best squads in the division at his disposal.

However, it has been a disappointing start to the campaign for Southampton, who currently sit 17th in the table after winning just two of their opening nine league games, and as supporter frustration grows, striker Downs is one player who has come in for criticism of late.

Damion Downs under supporter pressure after slow Southampton start

Downs is one of a number of Southampton players who have come under scrutiny amid the club's underwhelming start to the season, but his significant price tag has, rightly or wrong, meant that he has perhaps been judged more harshly than some of his team-mates.

The 21-year-old joined the Saints from German side FC Koln in the summer for a fee of around £7 million, and, on paper at least, he looked to be an exciting signing for the South Coast outfit.

After scoring two goals in 10 Bundesliga appearances in the 2023-24 campaign as FC Koln were relegated, Downs starred in the second division last season to help the Billy Goats back to the top flight at the first time of asking as he scored 11 goals and provided six assists in 32 games in all competitions.

It was not just at club level that Downs made a name for himself last season as he also made his senior debut for the United States national team back in June, so it certainly seemed as though Southampton were getting a player with big potential.

However, Downs has failed to live up to expectations during the early months of his time at St Mary's, registering just one assist in eight appearances for the Saints so far, and only two of those have come from the start.

Amid the spotlight on his poor start to life in a Southampton shirt, Downs came in for criticism for his performances on social media, which led him to delete his Instagram account, on which he previously had almost 20,000 followers, and Still described the abuse the striker received as "incredibly sad and a bit stupid".

While those comments will have come from a small minority, there is no doubt that the Saints fanbase as a whole have not been overly impressed with Downs this season, but they should be patient with him as he continues to adapt to life in English football.

Southampton will need Damion Downs after fresh Ross Stewart injury blow

Southampton supporters are understandably unhappy with their side's underperformance so far this season, and Downs has not repaid the club's sizeable investment in him so far, but he should be given time to find his feet at St Mary's.

While Downs has played at a relatively high level for both club and country in the early stages of his career, it is worth remembering that he is still only 21 years of age, and he is having to settle into life at a new club, in a new country and in a new league, all whilst playing for a team with higher expectations than most in the Championship.

It may prove to be the case in time that Downs does not quite have the required quality for the second tier, but he has not become a bad player overnight, and with the backing of his team-mates, coaching staff and supporters, he could soon discover the form that made him such a highly-rated prospect at FC Koln.

Still has rotated between Adam Armstrong, Cameron Archer and Ross Stewart in the striker role this season, but the latter is expected to be out for some time after suffering a hamstring injury in the draw at Derby County prior to the international break, so Downs will be needed to help cover for the Scot during his extended absence.

It seems Downs still retains the faith of his manager, with Still admitting that "not all transfers are going to come in and hit the ground running" and insisting that he will "keep working with him and helping him", although the fact he has been left out of the matchday squad for three of the last five league games suggests that the 33-year-old may privately be having a few doubts.

Downs is far from the only Southampton player to flatter to deceive this season, nor is he the only summer signing who has struggled to make an impact, but as he is only a few months into his Saints career, he should not be written off just yet, and he could have a big role to play as the season progresses.