Southampton struck gold signing this star in the summer, softening the blow of James Ward-Prowse leaving almost immediately
There was an air of certainty in Southampton that James Ward-Prowse would leave the club, especially after the Saints were relegated to the Championship.
Ward-Prowse had virtually become synonymous with St Mary’s, a one-club player who could single-handedly turn a game around for his side with a little of flair – the 29-year-old appearing in 410 games and scored 55 goals for the club.
West Ham United would come in and sign the Saints star for £30 million in the summer, a transaction that might have effectively ended Southampton’s chances of winning promotion straight back to the Premier League.
However, Russell Martin’s men – 19 games into the second tier season – aren’t feeling the after-effects of Ward-Prowse’s exit whatsoever with this new central midfield gem slotting into the line-up seamlessly and replacing the former Saints number eight with ease.
Indeed, Flynn Downes has become an instant fan favourite at St Mary’s, Southampton winning the deal to offload Ward-Prowse to the Hammers by gaining Downes on loan from the London Stadium for the season.
Even when the former Swansea City man has a relatively quiet game – as was the case in Southampton’s last match versus Cardiff City – Downes shows off his Premier League-level qualities.
Flynn Downes’ game vs Cardiff in numbers
Downes has been crucial in the heart of the pitch for his new club. Martin’s possession-heavy style of play requires a midfielder like the 24-year-old to be always on the ball and present.
Against Cardiff last match, Downes amassed an astounding 110 touches in the centre of a midfield trio as per Sofascore alongside Stuart Armstrong and Shea Charles.
However, only two of the West Ham loanee’s passes on the day were crucial, with many of his touches and subsequent passes failing to spark a play that would unlock the Cardiff defence. Rather, Downes just made sure his team had their fair amount of possession – Martin’s men had 64% of the ball against the Bluebirds.
Downes had an average 6.8 Sofascore rating for his performance in the routine and straightforward 2-0 win. Charles and Armstrong were significantly more engaged.
Downes, on the other hand, shines and leads from the front for the Saints on a regular basis, his style of play resembling Ward-Prowse during his prime on the South Coast.
Flynn Downes’ statistics this season
This season in the Championship, the midfielder is unerringly composed on the ball, executing 71.9 accurate passes per 90 minutes.
After being described as a “outstanding” footballer by his manager after joining the club, he’s also’really brave’ with or without the ball at his feet – Martin managed Downes at Swansea before taking over at Southampton – and the 24-year-old is proving to be just that for the promotion contenders.
The Hammers loanee is constantly involved in passing moves and attentive. Downes has only one assist to date, but the Saints number four is always there to receive a pass and play someone into space.
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