Southampton just dropped nearly £9m on Aston Villa attacker Lewis Dobbin. The 23-year-old spent last term on loan at Preston North End. He bagged 11 goals and eight assists in 41 Championship games. Not bad.
Villa paid Everton £10m for him back in 2024. He never played a single minute for their senior team. Now, he is gone. Southampton had to fight off Middlesbrough and a few others to get this deal over the line. It is another move for a guy who already has West Brom, Derby, and Norwich on his CV.
Johannes Spors, Southampton’s technical director, talked him up on the club’s site. He called him a proven Championship threat with speed and versatility. Standard PR talk. But the kid does have pace.
Head coach Tonda Eckert has the squad back for pre-season. They play Eastleigh this Saturday. Then it is off to Germany for two friendlies before an EFL Cup opener against Colchester on August 8.
Meanwhile, the FA is still sniffing around. The ‘Spygate’ investigation is dragging into its second month. Saints got kicked out of the play-offs last year. They start this new campaign on minus four points. Up against it from day one.
