Tonda Eckert has another Lewis Dobbin style conundrum to solve at Southampton
Lewis Dobbin would have hoped he could kick on after impressing against Norwich City.
Indeed, while the £9m recruit didn't score at Carrow Road, his breathless work up top helped Southampton clinch a determined 1-0 win in Norfolk.
Unfortunately, up against Bolton Wanderers, he would be lambasted for his wastefulness, instead of being praised for this energy, as he squandered two big chances in front of goal during the disappointing 0-0 draw.
This flat display against the Trotters means it's one step forward, two steps back for Dobbin on the South Coast, as he just can't nail down a consistent first-team spot that suits him at St. Mary's.
Dobbin isn't fitting in
Dobbin was meant to be a standout first-team presence at his new club.
For £9m, the world was expected of him, and he warranted such a lavish price-tag, too, having picked up 11 goals and eight assists last season on the books of Preston North End.
He just hasn't lived up to his hype so far, and it's been partly down to the fact he hasn't been able fit into one particular position in his new home.
Dobbin can play down the wing, or through the middle as a main striker, with 24 career goal contributions falling on the left flank.
Yet, he isn't going displace Leo Scienza anytime soon down that left channel, and when it comes to the sole striker position at St. Mary's, he won't be trusted to lead the line going forward, after being extremely wasteful in one-on-one positions on Saturday.
Where does he fit in then?
He can do a job down the right wing, but with Kuryu Matsuki two goals better off than him this season, it's unlikely he will be moved out of the team for the £9m misfit to try and nail down a position.
He was praised against Norwich for his effort, but for such a weighty price, he needs to show he can light up Championship pitches sooner rather than later with his goalscoring ability, instead of just being acknowledged for showing some fight, or he will be dismissed as a big waste of cash.
Another conundrum is troubling Eckert in a similar fashion to the ill-fitting Dobbin, strangely, as the other outcast in question also once cost a bomb to bring to the South Coast, but has shown little to back up his expensive valuation.
Eckert has another Dobbin-style conundrum
Tom Fellows would cost even more than Dobbin's statement arrival in the summer of 2025, with the right winger costing the Saints a gigantic £10m to win.
Fellows would arrive from West Bromwich Albion with a reputation for being an assist king in the Championship, with a staggering 14 assists next to his name during the 2024/25 season for the Baggies.
But, much like Dobbin, who arrived to St. Mary's with similarly encouraging numbers, the Birmingham-born winger has failed to spark into life after moving from the Hawthorns to the South Coast.
Indeed, at the time of writing, he has just one goal and eight assists to shout about from 52 appearances in Saints red and white, and he was taken off at the half-time mark against Bolton, in a rare start for the former England U21 international.
Much like Dobbin, it appears Fellows will have a bright game once in a blue moon, with a Championship goal coming his way in August against Millwall, only to then fall back into the background as an inconsistent talent who can't quite cut it next to the likes of Scienza and Finn Azaz.
He can play down either flank, but at the moment, like Dobbin has found out, other players are way ahead of him in the pecking order.
For a combined £19m, Southampton definitely haven't gone their money's worth out of the one-time Aston Villa youngster, and the underwhelming number 18.
Hopefully, they can turn around their dwindling St. Mary's careers in games to come, but patience is running thin when it comes to the hot-and-cold attackers, particularly when assessing Fellows' unmemorable 52-game stay.
