Why did Russell Martin bring Flynn Downes to Southampton?
When Russell Martin joined Swansea in August 2021, he swiftly secured the transfer of Flynn Downes from Ipswich, despite Swansea’s financial constraints. They were willing to pay approximately £1.5 million for Downes, illustrating Martin’s strong desire to have him at the club.
Flynn Downes had been excluded from the Ipswich squad during the 2021/22 pre-season and was relegated to training with the U23 side after reaching an agreement with Ipswich manager Paul Cook to leave the team. Downes had been with Ipswich’s academy since 2006 and gradually progressed through the ranks, making his first-team debut in 2017. He also captained Ipswich at the age of 20.
After moving to south Wales under Russell Martin, Downes made 39 appearances for Swansea in all competitions, which led to a move to West Ham United in the Premier League.
In the previous season, Downes made 35 appearances for West Ham, mostly as a substitute. With West Ham’s recruitment of James Ward-Prowse and Edson Alvarez, Downes felt that his chances for regular first-team play were limited. This prompted Martin to bring Downes to Southampton on loan.
Could Downes potentially make a permanent move to Southampton? According to Teamtalk, West Ham still envisions a long-term future for Downes in London and views this loan as an opportunity for him to gain the regular first-team action he sought last season.
However, if Southampton were to achieve promotion to the Premier League and both parties were agreeable, there might be a possibility of Downes joining Southampton permanently with the promise of regular Premier League football.
For now, Downes is focused on accumulating as many minutes as possible at Southampton, aiming to assist the team in returning to the Premier League in their first attempt.
Leave a Reply