Tyler-Jay Dibling (born 17 February 2006) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Southampton.

Tyler Dibling
Personal information
Full name Tyler-Jay Dibling[1]
Date of birth (2006-02-17) 17 February 2006 (age 18)
Place of birth Exeter, England[2]
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[3]
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
Southampton
Number 33
Youth career
Axminster Town
2011–2013 Millwey Rise
2012–2013 Southampton
2013–2014 Exeter City
2014–2022 Southampton
2022 Chelsea
2022–2023 Southampton
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2023– Southampton 19 (2)
International career
2021–2022 England U16 4 (1)
2022–2023 England U17 15 (3)
2023– England U18 5 (0)
2024– England U19 3 (1)
2024– England U21 2 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17:17, 29 December 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 07:19, 19 November 2024 (UTC)

Club career

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Axminster Town (Pre-2011)

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Born in Exeter, Dibling started his career with local side Axminster Town AFC, where his father Sam played for the men's team.[4]

Millwey Rise FC (2011–2013)

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He joined Millwey Rise FC at the age of five, spending two years with the youth side.[5]

Southampton (2012–2022)

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He joined Southampton in 2012, also spending a year with Exeter City at the age of seven, before signing a professional contract with The Saints in October 2021.[4][5] In April 2022, he scored a hat-trick of near-identical goals in a Premier League 2 game against Newcastle United, with a video of the goals going viral.[2]

Having been named on the bench for a Premier League game against Brentford, in which he did not feature, Dibling drew attention from Newcastle United and Chelsea.[2][6]

Chelsea (2022)

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He joined the latter in July 2022, after ten years with Southampton, with the promise of a professional contract once he turned seventeen.[2][7][8] However, after failing to settle at Chelsea, making only two appearances for the club's under-18 side, he returned to Southampton in September 2022.[2]

Southampton (2022 onward)

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Dibling signed a scholarship deal with Southampton on 17 September 2022, stating that the club felt like a "second home" to him.[9][10][11] He is seen as one of the brightest prospects in Southampton's academy.[2][12] On 22 February 2023, Dibling signed his first professional contract.[13] On 18 December 2023, he signed a new contract, keeping him at the club until 2026.[14]

Dibling made his first professional appearance on 8 August 2023 in a 3–1 defeat to Gillingham in the EFL Cup, replacing Jayden Meghoma in the 85th minute.[15] On 13 January 2024, he made his first league appearance for the club in a 4–0 victory against Sheffield Wednesday, coming on as a substitute for Ryan Fraser in the 88th minute.[16]

On 17 August 2024, Dibling made his first Premier League appearance in a 1–0 away defeat against Newcastle United after he replaced Joe Aribo in the 70th minute.[17][18] On 21 September, he scored his first professional goal in a 1–1 draw against Ipswich Town.[19]

International career

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Dibling has represented England at the under-16, under-17 and under-18 levels.[1] On 17 May 2023, Dibling was named in the England squad for the 2023 UEFA European Under-17 Championship.[20] He made his England under-18 debut on 6 September 2023 during a 2–0 defeat to France in Limoges.[21] On 2 November 2023, Dibling was included in the England squad for the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup.[22] He scored in their opening group game against New Caledonia.[23]

On 4 September 2024, Dibling made his England U19 debut during a 2–2 draw to Italy.[24] On 8 November 2024, he was named in the England U21 squad to face Spain and the Netherlands in friendlies.[25] He made his England U21 debut on 15 November 2024 in a 0–0 draw with Spain.[26][27]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of match played 29 December 2024[28]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup EFL Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Southampton U23 2022–23[29] 2[a] 0 2 0
Southampton 2023–24[30] Championship 1 0 3 0 1 0 5 0
2024–25[31] Premier League 18 2 0 0 3 0 21 2
Total 19 2 3 0 4 0 26 2
Career total 19 2 3 0 4 0 2 0 28 2
  1. ^ Appearances in EFL Trophy

Honours

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England U18

References

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  1. ^ a b Tyler Dibling at WorldFootball.net
  2. ^ a b c d e f Tanswell, Jacob (7 September 2022). "Why Tyler Dibling went from Southampton to Chelsea and back again in two months". theathletic.com. Retrieved 2 January 2023. (subscription required)
  3. ^ "Tyler Dibling Southampton Midfielder, Profile & Stats | Premier League". www.premierleague.com. Retrieved 2024-12-14.
  4. ^ a b Evans, Philip (8 May 2022). "Former Axminster player Tyler Dibling, 16, named in Saints' Premier squad". axminster.nub.news. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  5. ^ a b Herbert, Tim (21 October 2021). "Premier League contract for local footballer". midweekherald.co.uk. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  6. ^ Maung-Haley, Oscar (30 June 2022). "Why Newcastle United may have to work hard to persuade Saints prospect Tyler Dibling to join Magpies". chroniclelive.co.uk. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  7. ^ House, Alfie (11 August 2022). "Southampton youngster confirms departure to Chelsea". dailyecho.co.uk. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  8. ^ Emmanuel, Ifeanyi (11 August 2022). "Highly-rated Southampton attacking midfielder confirms move to Chelsea youth". allnigeriasoccer.com. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  9. ^ "Dibling signs Academy scholarship deal". southamptonfc.com. 17 September 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  10. ^ Wyatt, Mark (17 September 2022). "Tyler Dibling lays down Southampton ambitions after Chelsea U-turn and new scholarship deal". hampshirelive.news. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  11. ^ House, Alfie (17 September 2022). "Dibling speaks out as Southampton confirm youngster's scholarship deal". dailyecho.co.uk. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  12. ^ "'Dibling can be a big player for the future of Southampton'". bbc.com. 28 April 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  13. ^ "Tyler Dibling signs professional contract". Southampton FC. 22 February 2023. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  14. ^ "Tyler Dibling commits future to Saints". Southampton FC. 18 December 2023. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  15. ^ "Gillingham 3–1 Southampton". BBC Sport. 8 August 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  16. ^ "Southampton 4–0 Sheffield Wednesday". BBC Sport. 13 January 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  17. ^ Coates, Charlotte (17 August 2024). "Newcastle United 1–0 Southampton". BBC Sport. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
  18. ^ "Report: Saints beaten at Newcastle on opening day". Southampton FC. 17 August 2024. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
  19. ^ "Southampton vs Ipswich Town". Sofascore. 2024-09-21. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
  20. ^ Veevers, Nicholas (17 May 2023). "England MU17s squad named for EURO Finals". EnglandFootball.com. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  21. ^ Veevers, Nicholas (6 September 2023). "Report: France 2-0 England MU18s". EnglandFootball.com. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  22. ^ Smith, Frank (2 November 2023). "England squad for the FIFA U-17 World Cup". EnglandFootball.com. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
  23. ^ Rees-Julian, George (12 November 2023). "Southampton duo score in England's 10-0 win at U17 World Cup". Daily Echo. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  24. ^ Veevers, Nicholas (4 September 2024). "Report: Report: England MU19s 2-2 Italy". EnglandFootball.com. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
  25. ^ "Dibling earns first England U21s call-up". Southampton FC. 8 November 2024. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  26. ^ "Dibling makes Under-21 debut on special night for internationals". Southampton FC. 15 November 2024. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
  27. ^ "Spain U21 0–0 England U21". BBC Sport. 15 November 2024. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
  28. ^ Tyler Dibling at Soccerway
  29. ^ "Games played by Tyler Dibling in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  30. ^ "Games played by Tyler Dibling in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  31. ^ "Games played by Tyler Dibling in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  32. ^ "Saints trio help England lift the U18 Pinatar Cup". Southampton FC. 25 March 2024. Retrieved 27 March 2024.