Will Still ‘assessing’ future of Southampton star who must wait until Tyler Dibling saga is resolved

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Southampton have so far been able to keep the core of their Premier League squad together, but EFL Analysis can reveal that may all change very soon, impacting the future of one fringe player.

Will Still has made a good start to life with Southampton, registering a last-gasp win over Wrexham last weekend before progressing in the Carabao Cup by beating Northampton in midweek.

However, there is one issue hanging over the Saints with two weeks of the transfer window to go, and that is the speculation over Tyler Dibling’s future.

With Everton still keen on Dibling, it remains to be seen whether Southampton can keep their star player, and the uncertainty regarding that situation is having a knock-on effect.

• READ MORE: Will Still defends Damion Downs after Southampton ace misses golden chance, ‘we just need to help…’

How Southampton feel about Kuryu Matsuki

Still has admitted Dibling’s future is out of his hands, but when it comes to the fate of Kuryu Matsuki, Southampton are looking to control what happens to the Japanese star and are reluctant to let him go any time soon.

Meanwhile, it is still unclear whether Mateus Fernandes will go to West Ham after a £30m offer was rejected this week.

We spoke to our transfer expert Graeme Bailey about the matter, and he exclusively told EFL Analysis: “He is one they are assessing. They like him as a talent, but they’ll have to see what happens with other players. They won’t want to let anyone go just yet while Tyler Dibling and Mateus Fernandes could still be leaving.

“Matsuki is a player that might have to wait until the final week to learn his fate. It’ll all depend on who they keep or sell around him. I don’t see him being allowed to leave, I think they quite like him.”

Matsuki was on loan at Turkish side Goztepe last season, but has returned to St. Mary’s and featured in the cup earlier this week, coming on as a second-half substitute.

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Kuryu Matsuki stats compared to Tyler Dibling and Mateus Fernandes

Obviously, Dibling, Matsuki, and Mateus Fernandes all play slightly different roles, but it’s worth looking at what Matsuki brings to the table in comparison to his teammates.

Last season, Matsuki played 28 times in Turkey, starting ten games and racking up 1,030 minutes. He scored two goals and registered four assists for Goztepe.

Interestingly, Dibling contributed the same number of goal contributions, scoring four and assisting two last season in the Premier League. However, he played ten games more and had 2,213 minutes under his belt.

Fernandes, meanwhile, scored three goals and assisted six and comes out on top when it comes to goal contributions. Again, it’s worth noting he played even more than Dibling, with 43 games and 3,349 minutes in the top flight.