One Southampton FC player is proving crucial right now, it'll be no surprise to Ipswich supporters: View | OneFootball

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Flynn Downes has been in impressive form for Southampton this season after his summer loan move from West Ham United.

The former Ipswich, Luton, and Swansea City midfielder has been reunited with former Swans boss Russell Martin on the south coast as the Saints look to make an immediate return to the Premier League.

The 24-year-old joined West Ham United from Swansea after an impressive maiden season in the Championship during the 2021/22 campaign.

However, the Essex-born midfielder found game time hard to come by in the Premier League last season and was subsequently loaned back to the Championship where he joined Southampton.

How has Flynn Downes performed for Southampton this season?

Downes has made 11 Championship appearances so far this season, with ten of those being starts. In his role as a defensive midfielder Downes has a 95% passing success rate, being good in possession is a crucial aspect of Russell Martin's tactics and Downes has that skill in abundance.

However, it's out of possession where Downes really shines, he averages 1.6 interceptions per game, 2.3 tackles per game and recovers 5.3 balls a game, according to Sofascore.

The West Ham loanee has become a mainstay in the Saints' side, playing the full 90 minutes in eight of his ten starts for the club.

After a shaky start to life in the Championship, the Saints have settled in recent weeks and haven't lost since the 23rd September, stretching their unbeaten run to seven games as they move up to fourth in the Championship table.

If Southampton are to continue this rich vein of form they'll need Downes to continue his impressive run of form.

Why did Russell Martin bring Flynn Downes to Southampton?

When Russell Martin joined Swansea in August 2021, he immediately brought Flynn Downes to the club from Ipswich in League One. A cash-strapped Swansea were willing to fork out around £1.5million on Downes according to the East Anglian Daily Times, such was Martin's desire to bring Downes to the club.

Flynn Downes had been frozen out of the Ipswich squad in the 2021/22 pre-season and been made to train with the club's U23 side after coming to an agreement with manager Paul Cook to leave the Tractor Boys.

Downes joined Ipswich's academy in 2006 and worked his way up through the ranks, making his first-team debut for the club in 2017. He spent the second half of that season on loan at then League Two club Luton Town before re-joining Ipswich for the 2018-19 season.

Over the course of the next three seasons Downes developed a reputation for being one of the best midfielders in League One, even captaining Ipswich at just 20-years-old.

A move to south Wales under Russell Martin followed where Downes made 39 appearances in all competitions for Swansea, doing enough to earn a move to Premier League side, West Ham United.

Downes made 35 appearances in East London last season with most of them off the bench, and with West Ham recruiting ex-Saints man James Ward-Prowse and Edson Alvarez this summer meaning Downes felt further down the pecking order, Martin saw fit to bring Downes to the club on loan.

Is there a chance Downes could join Southampton permanently?

According to Teamtalk, West Ham still see a long-term future for Downes in London and see this loan as good chance for Downes to get the regular first-team football he craved last season.

However, if Southampton were to get promoted to the Premier League and both parties were willing, there may be a chance that Southampton and Russell Martin may be able to tempt Downes to Southampton on a permanent basis with the promise of regular Premier League football.

For now though, Downes will be focused on racking up as many minutes as possible at the Saints in a bid to help them bounce back to the Premier League at the first attempt.