“When I was younger I was a Chelsea fan and all my brothers are Chelsea, so once I heard that… it’s just a bit surreal. You want to jump straightaway, and that’s what I did.”
This was the summer of 2022, as 16-year-old Dibling embarked on his dream move – or so he thought.
“Obviously I thought about it, but maybe I should’ve taken more time to think about it. When I went, I realised it wasn’t for me,” he says.
Perhaps Dibling’s shyness played a part, but he struggled to settle at Chelsea, and returned to Saints within two months.
“I don’t know if I’ve said this before, but the turning point was when we came back here to play against Southampton. That’s when I spoke to my dad and said, ‘I want to go back.’ That was the turning point and obviously the staff here made it possible, so I’m thankful to them.
“It was my decision at the end of the day and my parents supported that. That’s the main thing in football – to be happy. No matter what club you’re at, how much money you earn or how many goals you score. I made probably the best decision ever to come back because now I’m playing in the Premier League.”