'Dibling is the antidote to robotic, structured & predictable football'

"Tyler has uniqueness. In a world and industry which is becoming more commercialised, over sanitised, robotic, structured and predictable, Tyler's greatest strength is the opposite to all of that."

That's quite the sell for Southampton's 19-year-old midfield star Tyler Dibling, especially given his basic Premier League career numbers amount to 25 appearances, 1540 minutes played, two goals and zero assists.

But that gushing description from one senior source at the club, speaking to BBC Sport anonymously, hints at an emerging talent interesting a host of top clubs and why there are some unsubstantiated reports of a £100m price tag on his head.

With the Saints facing an immediate relegation back to the Championship, Dibling's future is likely to be one of the summer's more interesting sagas, with Manchester United, Arsenal, Tottenham and Bayern Munich all reportedly chasing his signature.

Another source close to the club suggested Southampton turned down previously unreported bids of £35m from Tottenham and £30m from RB Leipzig in January, with the club valuing Dibling at £55m at the start of the winter window.

Southampton have not commented on those rumours, but what is known is that Dibling is one of the lowest paid players in Southampton's squad and has a deal that expires in 2027, after Southampton triggered a 12-month extension option.

He signed his last contract in December 2023, when he had played just five minutes of senior football.

The England Under-21 international has so far resisted the club's offers of a new deal in what has been a breakthrough season for him, despite a wretched campaign which could still see Southampton relegated with the Premier League's lowest ever points total.

Dig a little deeper into Dibling's stats, and his ball-carrying distance per game (207.3m), his total dribbles attempted (83), and his total dribbles completed (40) put him in the top 20 Premier League players.

His dribbles completed per game (2.34) and fouls won per game (2.57) place him in the top 10.

"He's the most fearless player I've ever worked with," former Saints Under-21 head coach Adam Asghar tells BBC Sport.

"He's totally unique to anything I've seen before. He's got raw physicality, pace and power, is an unbelievable ball-carrier and is always impacting games.

"In a generation of football where it's very much about limited touches and moving the ball quickly Tyler can move it as quickly by carrying the ball rather than passing it and that's what makes him such a special talent.

"Every game (with the Under-21s) he would always have four or five moments that would almost take your breath away.

"He is really sure of his ability. He wouldn't be fazed by the opponent or situation, he played with fearlessness."

At 15, Dibling played for Southampton Under‑21s and at 16 scored a hat‑trick of almost identical goals against Newcastle, the video of the strikes going viral. , external

England honours followed, progressing from the Under-16s through to the Under-21s, when he was given his debut against Spain in November.

Several coaches who have worked with him have described to BBC Sport a mercurial forward who can be "introverted" - a quiet, unassuming young man off the pitch who transforms into the main attraction on it.

Ryan Garry managed him for England Under-17s, in a group which included Arsenal duo Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly.

"He gets on with all his team-mates, he isn't the main voice in the room but he wouldn't exclude himself," said Garry, now assistant at Belgium side Lommel, one of the clubs under the City Football Group umbrella.

"There is a completely different characteristic when he is on the pitch compared to how he is off, but it's good - there's nothing wrong with that. He is a lovely kid and I really enjoyed working with him.

"He showed he had X-Factor. My personal challenge was to try to get him to show that in every session. Sometimes you've got boys who are on camp together, it takes them a little while to adjust to the group, the schedule and they're away from home.

"In terms of his potential - it's huge."

Asghar, who worked with Dibling during the 2023-24 season after joining from Sunderland said he was "always outgoing in the right circumstances".

"Your job as a coach is to try and influence his behaviour and that's what the talented ones will make you do," he added.

"When you spoke to him it was clear what he wants. It could be quite blunt in terms of the training content he likes, how he wants to play the game. That's why you can see him handle the transition to the big stage really well.

"He knows what he wants, he knows what he can bring and some things that can be maybe portrayed as aloof.

"The guys who have worked with him definitely know that's not the case. He's a good boy, he wants to listen, he'll take things in."

In 2022, Dibling - who had been with Southampton since he was eight - moved to Chelsea. But he only stayed at Stamford Bridge for six weeks.

Homesick and struggling to settle in digs away from his family, both clubs agreed a return to Southampton with no money exchanged, as Dibling was desperate to come home.

He confided in academy coach Jeremy Newton how he was feeling following a game against Southampton's Under-18s and the Saints moved quickly to bring him back.

"It's a real credit to all the staff who created the environment that Tyler realised what he was missing. Bear in mind he was a Chelsea fan and living out his boyhood dream," said a club source.

"When he didn't have that anymore, he realised the importance of it."

Dibling then signed his first professional deal in February 2023 and six months later made his debut in a 3-1 Carabao Cup defeat at Gillingham.

It led to four more appearances for the first team as they won promotion back to the Premier League, beating Leeds in the play-off final.

Asghar - now Under-18s head coach at Celtic - watched his transition and believes the slow adjustment period has aided his development this term.

He said: "If Tyler was to reflect on it, he'd probably say it was a bit of a frustrating year. He had to be training with the first team, which was 100% right for his development, and be part of the squads and then try to get his minutes for the Under-21s on a Friday.

"Learning how to be a professional, learning how to act and behave in that environment was really important.

"In Tyler's head he was ready so that was where the frustration came from.

"Sometimes we had to take him off after 45 minutes or 60 minutes of the under 21s because he was required for the first team game on Saturday, and he would have an emotional reaction.

"He's used all his experience from last year, used that as motivation and he's probably reflected on it and come back for pre-season knowing what he had to do."

There is a belief among some of the coaches BBC Sport spoke to that Dibling will eventually become an established number 10, despite impressing out wide for Southampton.

On his first Premier League start in September he won a penalty against Manchester United, on his second he scored against Ipswich.

Despite surprisingly recording no assists in the Premier League this season, Dibling averages 8.5 progressive carries each game and creates more than one chance a game too. However, his successful passes per game (22.7) and passing accuracy (83.1%) are only 11th best among his team-mates.

Jack Grealish has been criticised for losing his 'personality' on the pitch and failing to justify the £100m spent on him following his move to Manchester City from Aston Villa in 2021.

Those who know Dibling remain confident he will not suffer the same fate because the strong-willed teenager knows the environment he needs to thrive and - should he move - to choose the best option.

Paul MacDonald, of FootballTransfers.com says their Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) algorithm puts Dibling at £26.5m, given his contract situation and one season of experience.

MacDonald said: "However, the ETV algorithm rates his future potential highly. Of course, quotes of £100m are completely silly, but we've got him valued as the 15th most valuable under-20 player in the world.", external

"As long as there is a big green rectangle, 22 players and a ball then Tyler will flourish. He just wants to play football," a well-placed source told BBC Sport.

"Tyler knows the right fit for him. He knows what the conditions have to look like. He knows what type of manager he can work best with. I have no doubt whatever his next step looks like he will choose the right option.

"He is unique, unpredictable, exciting and, undeniably, he is himself."