Initial Valuation Of Everton Target Tyler Dibling Was ‘Ridiculous’ – Ex-EFL Star | OneFootball

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Former EFL star Adrian Clarke has insisted that Southampton have never been likely to get the initial valuation they placed on the head of Everton target Tyler Dibling.

Dibling was one of the few shining lights for Saints in an abysmal season which saw Southampton relegated from the Premier League in record time.

Having made his Premier League debut in August, Dibling went on to feature regularly, offering solace to Southampton fans when it was not forthcoming from the results.

Everton have been trying to sign Dibling and had a second bid rejected by Southampton earlier this week.

Clarke suspects that Southampton will be unable to keep either Mateus Fernandes or Dibling, with both players standing out despite the team’s failings

Southampton had been putting a £100m price tag on Dibling’s head initially, which Clarke finds ‘ridiculous’ and thinks they might get £30m.

Clarke, said on What The EFL (41:05): “I suspect that they will lose Mateus Fernandes. He is a terrific talent and young.

“Definitely Dibling. They are not going to get the £100m that they wanted for Dibling, are they?

“That was a ridiculous valuation, but they might get £30m. They can reinvest that maybe in the rest of the team.”

Dibling re-joined Southampton two months after moving to Chelsea and failing to settle in 2022.

His stock has consistently risen since then, with his professional debut coming in 2023, but he has been a regular in the first team only over the course of the previous season.

It is Everton who have shown the most interest in Dibling and despite widespread interest in the player, it remains to be seen if anyone else will want to take a gamble over someone with a relatively small sample size.

New manager Will Still will want to have a favourable introduction to the English game, as he takes over his first club in the country.

It remains to be how he approaches the age-old problem faced by clubs that are not in the absolute top echelon; whether to keep their top talent and build around them, or to cash in and reinvest across the squad.

Still’s decision will illuminate his thought process even before a single ball is kicked.