Dobbin: "Scary" final-day Saints swayed my decision
Lewis Dobbin revealed he was so impressed by Southampton’s performance at Deepdale on the final day of the Sky Bet Championship season that he could not turn down the chance to play for the club when the call came from St Mary’s.
The 23-year-old forward experienced mixed fortunes playing against Saints for Preston, on loan from Aston Villa, scoring in both league meetings in 2025/26,
The first, at St Mary’s in November, was a 2-0 win for the Lilywhites that would prove to be Will Still’s last game in charge of Saints, who were 21st in the table.
Six months later, Tonda Eckert’s rejuvenated team headed to Lancashire and successfully signed off the regular season with a 3-1 victory that extended Saints’ unbeaten run to 19 league matches – a dominant display that left a lasting impression on Dobbin, who has now signed a four-year contract at St Mary’s.
“Obviously I played against the team twice last season and can see the quality they have – it’s a Premier League squad. I think it’s only going to improve my game massively. It’s amazing to call this place home,” he said.
“I played well in both games, which always helps. It was really weird. The first time we played at St Mary’s was weird – we knew it obviously wasn’t going great at the time and we could play on that, in a sense; try and get the crowd turned early, and I think we managed to do that in the end.
“But then you see the team we played on the last day of the season and the contrast was scary. It was the same team, almost, but completely different in the way they played, and that’s credit to the manager and shows how good he is. It was amazing to see the transition, and I’m really looking forward to being a part of it.
“The team was really good against us in the way they got after the ball, the way they pressed us and put us under pressure. That definitely swayed my decision because I could see myself playing in a team like that. I think it suits all the qualities I have, so hopefully it works out. I’m really excited.”
Registering 11 goals and nine assists in 41 appearances for Preston last season, averaging a goal contribution every two games, Dobbin highlighted the key attributes he can bring to Saints’ attack.
“I just like to be as positive as possible,” he explained. “I can play anywhere in the front line and I think that will help me if I want to get into the team. Being able to play and be dangerous in as many positions as possible, I think that’s a massive factor of mine.
“As soon as I get the ball I want to look forward, I want to drive forward. I want to create goals, I want to score goals. That’s what I’m all about – I think I showed that last season and it’s just about building on that and keep improving.
“My preferred position is probably no. 10, but when I play wide it’s always about drifting in and trying to be as close to the goal and the box as possible, trying to link up with my teammates.
“You can see there’s so many players in this squad that I’ll be able to link with. They’ll bring the best out of me and hopefully I’ll bring the best out of them, and hopefully we can have a really good season.”
2026/27 Men's First Team Season Tickets are on sale now, priced from £510 for Adults and just £80 for Under-14s.
Hospitality seasonal and matchday packages for all games throughout the season are also available now.
