Southampton defeated Carlos Corberan’s West Bromwich Albion 3-1 over two legs to get to the highly anticipated Championship playoff final, and they are now very much daring to dream about an instant Premier League comeback.
The tough opposition they will face at Wembley at the end of May is Leeds United, but Russell Martin’s team won’t be afraid of the fierce Whites because they defeated them 2-1 at Elland Road on the last day of the regular season before the playoff lottery even started.
Smallbone, who rose through the Saints junior system to become a vital first-team midfield player, has had an incredible season for the squad chasing promotion at the ideal time, with Premier League football now tantalisingly close at hand.
Will Smallbone’s Southampton debut
Having been with the Saints since 2016, Smallbone has had to be extremely patient to get to where he is now.
Even though he made 98 appearances for the U18s and U21s and had 13 goals and 13 assists, his stats weren’t very impressive. However, he was never able to break through and consistently play for the men’s squad.
When Smallbone was making significant progress, his terrible luck kept stopping him. He made many appearances at the beginning of the 2020–21 season before a devastating anterior cruciate ligament injury cruelly intervened.
Nevertheless, considering how crucial he has been to Martin’s club getting to Wembley, Smallbone has remarkably made 45 of his 69 first-team appearances in this campaign alone, and he has never looked back.
The 24-year-old greatly benefited from the departures of players like Romeo Lavia and James Ward-Prowse in the summer on big contracts, which opened up room in the middle of the pitch for someone to emerge as the next Saints midfield star.
He has undoubtedly established himself as such this season, scoring the game-winning goal against West Brom in the pivotal playoff second leg and showing himself to be a trustworthy alternative.
The statistical season of Smallbone
Week by week, the Saints academy graduate has emerged as Martin’s first choice on the roster, missing just three league games all season to completely shake off any injury nightmares.
As a result, the midfielder has contributed three assists and six goals. On the last day, he silenced the home crowd by scoring against Leeds after Kyle Walker-Peters’ ball.
| Smallbone vs Gruev – numbers on FBRef over the last year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Stat per 90 mins | Smallbone | Gruev |
| Passes attempted | 66.38 | 61.08 |
| Pass completion % | 87.6% | 90% |
| Progressive passes | 6.42 | 4.36 |
| Progressive carries | 1.53 | 0.56 |
| Progressive passes received | 3.51 | 0.41 |
| Blocks | 0.99 | 0.81 |
| Interceptions | 0.90 | 1.37 |
| Stats by FBRef | ||
Even though there will be a great deal riding on the result of the match at the end of the month, Ilia Gruev and Smallbone might engage in an exciting fight on the pitch.
Even in a highly anticipated one-off match, Smallbone may have a good chance of winning based on the FBRef figures in the above table while facing the former Werder Bremen player.
This season hasn’t been without its challenges for the breakout Southampton number 16, though. Earlier in the season, he had to delete his social media accounts due to severe online bullying.
Only a few days had passed since he was made fun of for his club’s FA Cup exit loss to Liverpool, but Smallbone bounced back, contributing two assists in a thrilling 4-3 victory away at Birmingham City.
Martin had to defend his midfield talent emotionally as a result, calling the play of the Saints academy graduate who is now a key member of the first team “amazing” after the game.
Smallbone’s boss also lauded him for being a “selfless” character, and it’s not surprising that Smallbone’s transfer worth has gone up as a result of his developing season, especially considering Southampton secured their playoff spot.
Given that the two have collaborated on projects together in the past at Swansea City and currently on the South Coast, Football Transfers, who has received nothing but positive remarks from Martin this season, believes that his value is even more than that of Flynn Downes.
The 2024 transfer value of Smallbone
Smallbone’s valuation now stands at a lucrative £4.2m, with Southampton reaping the advantages now of continuing with their homegrown talent, instead of merely dumping him to the scrapheap when he hadn’t yet made waves in the men’s team.
Regardless of Smallbone’s stellar season, the Saints will only hope they can hold onto their star player, who rose through the prestigious youth system on the South Coast, away from players like Theo Walcott and Gareth Bale who have already left.
Although Downes is valued at a lower £3.3 million, he has been an important member of Smallbone’s centre midfield trio this season and is still the epitome of Martin’s smooth operator and easy-to-watch style.
| Downes’ numbers vs West Brom | |
|---|---|
| Minutes played | 90 |
| Touches | 72 |
| Accurate passes | 62/64 (97%) |
| Key passes | 2 |
| Assists | 1 |
| Successful dribbles | 1/1 |
| Stats by Sofascore | |
Having 65% of the ball to play with and dominating possession against West Brom, Downes masterfully managed the game, making only two errors out of 64 passes attempted, one of which set up Adam Armstrong’s game-winning second goal of the evening.
Even so, Smallbone’s value still outweighs Downes’, who is on loan from West Ham United, even though he will want to play Premier League games immediately in the upcoming season to top off an incredible campaign.
However, given that he is currently a highly prized diamond in the Saints camp, Smallbone would not attempt to demand a move up to the top tier if that doesn’t materialise.
For the 24-year-old, who was just on loan at Stoke City last season and was uncertain about whether or not St. Mary’s would be his long-term home, it has been a story of persistence and patience paying off.
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