Tyler Dibling? More like Tyler Dribbling...
That's what Thomas Müller might say if ever asked about the Everton youngster in a press conference.
Landing the ex-Southampton youngster this summer was perhaps the Toffees' second-best transfer in recent times, after Jack Grealish on a season-long loan, of course.
Tyler Dibling waiting on Everton opportunity after big-money switch
In a way, David Moyes robbed Football League spectators of what could have been one of the most 'streets won't forget' seasons from Dibling in a Southampton shirt, but we're happy to have him in the Premier League.
The 19-year-old has had his fair share of clubs, including a brief spell at Chelsea's renowned Cobham academy, but Southampton has always proven to be his safe space and ultimately the launchpad.
Dibling joined local side Exeter City's academy from the Saints whilst still a nipper, but was back within a year.
The same happened with his Chelsea switch in 2022, aged just 16, although he was attached to the Blues for just over a month after sealing a £1.5 million transfer from St. Mary's Stadium.
Even then, it was clear Dibling's talent would lead him to the Premier League, scoring hat-tricks of identical goals in PL2 matches, defenders many years his senior unable to stop the same situation time and time again.
Of course, the hat-trick in question, against Newcastle, was a result of three mazy dribbles into the opposing half, followed by a cool finish. It's what he does.
This is not a replay 🤯Tyler Dibling scored THREE almost identical goals in Southampton's 4-2 win over Newcastle in the Premier League 2 😍pic.twitter.com/vzuni9A4XKApril 26, 2022
The Everton teenager has an excellent command of the ball at his feet, not breaking stride, smoothly moving through the gears in a way which suggests he should be stoppable, but often isn't.
Dibling eats ground in an elegant manner, carrying the ball seamlessly; he was a particularly useful outlet for a Southampton side who found themselves hemmed into their own half throughout 2024/25.
'Give Tyler the ball and get your rest', may as well have been Ivan Jurić's primary tactic with the team already several goals down in some cases.
Dibling featured in over 2,000 minutes of senior football for that doomed Saints side last season, making 33 Premier League appearances, which is pretty out of the ordinary in any top five European league, never mind the most physically demanding one.
FourFourTwo's long-running 'The Boy's A Bit Special' feature has been going since the magazine's first issue, highlighting the best young players in the United Kingdom and abroad.
As of September 2025, we've given it a revamp. Our youth football expert Joe Donnohue will be profiling four teenagers each month, explaining why they're, well, a bit special.
At Everton, he's going to learn from the best and I don't mean to suggest Moyes was a marauding wide player in his day. Grealish's breakthrough at Aston Villa saw the Brummy Beckham hacked and chopped at by Premier League defences, so much so that only Wilfried Zaha really rivals the England international for fouls won over the past decade. Dibling, in this case, is the young pretender.
The 19-year-old will become a key player for this new cohort of England Under-21s, too, for whom many of their established wingers have outgrown the age group. So, don't rule out a senior bow in years to come, either.
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