Tyler Dibling: The shy outsider who became the face of Staplewood

It’s a recent addition, right next to the door, marking the 18-year-old’s first goal in senior football as he celebrates scoring against Ipswich in September.

It’s a symbol of the high esteem in which the club hold this precocious talent. Everywhere you look around the training ground, regardless of the route you take or the room you walk into, you are reminded of Academy graduates from generations gone by.

Southampton is proud of its history of nurturing those that have come before Dibling. From Matt Le Tissier, Alan Shearer and the Wallace brothers in the eighties, Wayne Bridge in the nineties and Theo Walcott, Gareth Bale and Adam Lallana in the noughties, to Alex Oxlade Chamberlain, Luke Shaw and James Ward-Prowse in the 2010s. All progressed through the ranks to become international players, with some going on to win Premier Leagues and Champions Leagues elsewhere.

“We never stop” is one of the slogans on display, and Saints never stop striving to find the next star. This decade has seen the emergence of more senior internationals including Nathan Tella and Will Smallbone – the former was a Bundesliga invincible last term, while the latter continues to fly the flag having been instrumental in Saints’ promotion back to the Premier League.

Watch the full feature video with Tyler Dibling on the official Saints app

From his very first day in the job, Russell Martin spoke passionately about “developing young people and developing young players.” Last season offered fans a first few fleeting glimpses of Dibling, along with Sam Amo-Ameyaw and Jayden Meghoma, who left for Brentford in the summer.

The latter pair played more minutes than Dibling, the eldest of the trio by a handful of months, but he is the one now making himself a must-pick despite Saints reclaiming their place in the Premier League – something the 18-year-old admits he thought would count against him.

“Being realistic, I played five minutes in the league last season, so I was thinking ‘do I need to go on loan or stay doing what I did last year, [Under-] 21s and first team?’” he says.

“Because I only played limited minutes last season, I didn’t think I was going to go on and start a lot of games for the club. The best outcome happened, obviously.”

Dibling is naturally shy, completely at odds with his confident, expressive self on the football pitch. But the underlying self-belief is clear, and there’s a cheeky side to him.

“Obviously I’ve been here for 10 years now, so I know Staplewood very well,” he says, taking a wander across the Under-21 pitch at the start of a rare on-camera interview for the Saints app.

Dibling has been kept away from the media spotlight, but he’s unflustered by the attention. He jokes about adopting a Michael Olise-style approach to interviews, having seen videos online of the Bayern Munich winger delivering amusingly abrupt answers.

“I was seven when I first started training, signed at eight and I’ve been here ever since,” he continues, telling his story. Born and raised in Devon, Dibling reveals his father would drive him to Southampton twice a week for training.

“When you’re young you don’t really think about those type of things that your parents do for you. I don’t know how many miles he’s got on his car, but it’s a lot!” he smiles.

“Like I am now, I was pretty quiet, because I came up here and I didn’t really know anyone. I just kept myself to myself, but once you’ve been around people longer, you open up more and be more yourself.

“I think when you step on to a pitch you don’t really feel… it’s like a different world, isn’t it? You don’t really feel those emotions anymore, it just comes on.

“When I was younger it was the same and when you play Arsenal and walk on to the pitch it’s just like playing any game. It still feels normal.”

The way Dibling shrugs as he mentions stepping out in front of 60,000 fans as an 18-year-old aptly sums up his character.

Dibling says he wasn't nervous walking out of the tunnel to face Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium

The interview starts with some insight into his background, before he’s handed an iPad to watch back some of his clips through the Under-18s, Under-21s and, ultimately, the first team.

The club archive actually goes further back. There are videos of Dibling all the way through the age groups, from nutmegs, tight dribbles and driving runs to goals from all angles and distances – usually from his left foot, the power of which belies his size. The older the footage and younger he was at the time, the smaller he looks in comparison to his peers.

“I’ve been the exact same since I was about five years old playing Sunday league. I’ve always played one position – right wing or CAM (central attacking midfielder). I played left-back once,” he corrects himself, “Under-11s for a half, because someone got injured, but that’s about it.”

A growth spurt, whilst helpful in the long run, initially stunted his progress.

“I mostly played up an age group when I was growing up,” he says. “You get the early developers, and I got injured a few times against the bigger boys when I was younger, but it definitely helps.

“I was small until I was about 14 and then I hit a growth spurt – my legs didn’t really work as I was growing, but I got bigger, got stronger and that definitely helped when I was playing against the older kids.

“Everyone knew what I could do but it wasn’t working. It was like my brain wasn’t connected to my legs as they were growing – loads of people go through it, you’ve just got to ride it out. It’s a normal thing.”

Dibling namechecks Tony Salentino, Andy Martino, Dan Rice and Sam Walters as influential coaches through his Academy years, and cites Lionel Messi and Eden Hazard as his heroes.

“Messi is the obvious one,” he smiles. “My dad took me to watch him when I was 12 or 13. We flew out to Barcelona, they played Celta Vigo, in 2019. He scored a hat-trick as well.

“Hazard was another one that I watched quite a bit, it was mostly those two. Because of the dribbling. They could get on the ball and do anything they wanted, it was fun to watch.”

The teenager recognises all of his Academy highlights from the first frame. “That’s probably my best clip,” he says of a hat-trick against Newcastle at St James’ Park, two months after his 16th birthday.

This was the first time Dibling’s name became known to the public, with all three of the goals so eerily similar they attracted viral attention in the days that followed.

All scored in the first half at the famous Gallowgate End, each goal sees him carry the ball through the centre of the pitch and shoot from an almost identical spot, just on the edge of the D, picking out the bottom-right corner with military precision every time.

“Once I get in that space, that’s always where I want to be,” he says. “I didn’t realise I had so much space in front of me. I don’t know why I didn’t go for the other corner, but it seemed to work.

“It was my second appearance for the Under-21s – second start. I played at Cardiff’s stadium before that, but that was the only one, and obviously St James’ Park is so big. It was surreal. My dad travelled all the way up from Exeter to Newcastle to watch that last minute.”

Suddenly the football world was taking notice of this talented teenager. There was understandable interest from Newcastle, recently taken over, who had suffered first-hand, and Hazard’s former club, Chelsea, the team Dibling grew up supporting.

“When you’re younger and you get a bit of traction to your name and your agent tells you this club, this club and this club are looking at you, you’re like ‘oh my god, oh my god,’” he recalls.

“When I was younger I was a Chelsea fan and all my brothers are Chelsea, so once I heard that… it’s just a bit surreal. You want to jump straightaway, and that’s what I did.”

This was the summer of 2022, as 16-year-old Dibling embarked on his dream move – or so he thought.

“Obviously I thought about it, but maybe I should’ve taken more time to think about it. When I went, I realised it wasn’t for me,” he says.

Perhaps Dibling’s shyness played a part, but he struggled to settle at Chelsea, and returned to Saints within two months.

“I don’t know if I’ve said this before, but the turning point was when we came back here to play against Southampton. That’s when I spoke to my dad and said, ‘I want to go back.’ That was the turning point and obviously the staff here made it possible, so I’m thankful to them.

“It was my decision at the end of the day and my parents supported that. That’s the main thing in football – to be happy. No matter what club you’re at, how much money you earn or how many goals you score. I made probably the best decision ever to come back because now I’m playing in the Premier League.”

Dibling and fellow 18-year-old Sam Amo-Ameyaw at Staplewood

Whilst others in his age group also flew the nest early, unlike Dibling they are still waiting for their opportunity to play top-flight football.

His first taste of a Premier League matchday actually arrived before his temporary departure. Dibling was well known to Ralph Hasenhüttl, who had him training with the first team at 15 and travelling with the squad at 16 for the trip to Brentford towards the end of the 2021/22 campaign.

Dibling smiles as he tells the story of accidentally sitting in Stuart Armstrong’s seat on the team coach to London. “He let me sit there and moved next to Prowsey, but they were all good with me – Nathan Redmond as well,” he remembers.

“It was a bit surreal, like ‘this is it.’ Once you get a bit older you’ve got more focus on actually becoming a proper pro – you can have fun as well, but I didn’t really think about it until 16, 17.”

It wasn’t until Martin’s arrival that Dibling was handed his first-team debut 15 months later – a late substitute appearance in last season’s Carabao Cup exit at Gillingham. It wasn’t a game that will live long in the memory for Saints fans, but one that will always have a special place in the youngster’s heart.

As he’s scrolling through the iPad, he picks up on something that jogs his memory. “My socks are up in that,” he notices.

“I got told I had to put them up so I couldn’t argue, first time coming up [to the first team]. I think it was Jason Wilcox, so I couldn’t say no to that, but I hate playing with my socks up. It feels weird.

“We were at England camp one time and Jimmy-Jay [Morgan] told me to try my socks low. I did it against Portugal and I had a good game and I just stuck with it, it felt comfortable. I think it suits me better than high socks.”

A rare sight: Tyler, with his socks up, makes his first-team debut

The low socks, already becoming a trademark, were soon back, as the then 17-year-old made his first starts in the FA Cup ties against Watford – first at Vicarage Road, then the replay at St Mary’s.

After a summer of weighing up his options before impressing in pre-season, Dibling was about to play more minutes than even he expected, revealing his debt of gratitude to “second dad” Martin.

“I didn’t really do pre-season with them (the first team) last year, I played one game, so to get a good run of games and show Russ why I should be in the team was good. I did alright,” he reflects, modestly.

“He’s been amazing, he’s like my second dad. He cares a lot and shows me he cares. He says what you need to hear in a loving way and he’s getting the best out of me, so I really appreciate him.

“Last season was a good season for me, with the FA Cup starts and first actual minutes in professional football.

“He did say to me a few times that next season I would break through properly, and he makes sure you’re comfortable and know you’re in the plans for the future. I think that’s important, because you can see that you’re wanted and needed at the club. You need to be patient in football.

“He’s put a lot of trust in me. I’m just thankful he’s given me the opportunity to show what I can do in the Premier League.”

After substitute appearances against Newcastle, Nottingham Forest and Brentford, Dibling was thrown in for his first Premier League start against Manchester United at a sold-out St Mary’s – an experience that felt more like a simulation than real life.

“I was so nervous before the game,” he admits, watching it back. “I don’t really get nervous, but I was very nervous before this, against Man United as well.

“Do you know The Journey in FIFA? That game mode where you can play as a first person? I felt like I was in that. It was weird with Rashford next to me. I’ve used him in FIFA for five years, so it was a bit surreal.”

Dibling had already dropped a shoulder to leave Diogo Dalot in his wake en route to testing André Onana when he received the ball five minutes before half time and beat the Portuguese international on the outside, inviting a mistimed sliding tackle to win Saints a penalty.

“Sam Amo said to me before, ‘if you do well you could stay in the team.’ This is why I’m in the team, to do this, so I can’t shy away and just pass the ball backwards. I need to be positive, and sometimes it works,” he says of his boldness in possession.

“I got Rashford’s shirt after the game, but that’s the only one I’ve got. I managed to conjure up the guts to ask him, because he was on the bench after he got subbed off, so we walked on to the pitch at the same time [at full time], so I asked him quietly.”

As if he would ask any other way.

He’s stayed in the team ever since. In Saints’ next home game, against Ipswich, Dibling scored the first goal of his fledgling career – the moment he’s reminded of every day outside the Staplewood dressing room.

It came from a sublime pass from Adam Lallana, his mentor, the man Dibling looks up to above all of his teammates.

“This is obviously the best moment of my career so far,” he says. “Only Adam Lallana would play this pass, so I knew it was coming. It was a great first touch, so I was always going to score.

“I’m quite close with Adam and he helps me and Sam [Amo-Ameyaw], so I knew he likes to do those passes, not keep it safe. I knew he was going to pass that ball, so I was ready on the turn. I could see him looking and he’s just that kind of player, he’s creative.

“He’s been in the position I’m in now and obviously gone on to play for Liverpool and for England. He speaks to us every day, helps us, and if we’re doing something wrong he puts us in line. He’s the perfect role model because he’s lived what I want to live and he can give me tips on the way to make it.

“He’s the same with everyone. I think he’ll be a good manager one day; I think he wants to go into that. He’s very demanding, but it’s good because that’s what you need – it can’t all be sunshine and rainbows. You need some discipline sometimes, and he gives us that.”

Dibling says he doesn’t have a Fantasy Premier League team this season, but did receive thanks from his dad and brothers for his 11-point haul that day.

Most of his free time is spent scrolling through TikTok and playing FIFA. “The new one’s out and it gets addictive, doesn’t it? That’s all I do. I don’t have myself right now because my card isn’t very good… I need an upgrade,” he says of his ratings on the game.

On the pitch, Dibling is driven to follow in the footsteps of those who adorned the Staplewood walls before him.

Somehow you get the sense that just being another on the production line isn’t going to be enough for him. Maybe he’s destined to be more than that.

“That’s why I joined the club. I was at Exeter and my dad made the decision for me to come here because of the pathway, and it’s paid off,” he reflects.

“In the past, Theo, Gareth Bale, Prowsey… more recently there hasn’t been as many big, big names.

“I obviously want to go on and do what Gareth Bale and Theo Walcott have done in football, try to be the best I can be and try to be a world-class player; put my name in with those names when people think of people that have come through at Southampton.”

This interview was first published inside SAINTS, the matchday programme, for Saturday's game against Leicester City. Be sure to pick up your copy of the club publication at future home fixtures, each containing a feature interview with a current first-team player.

Watch the full feature video with Tyler Dibling on the official Saints app