At one stage Hampshire born Will Smallbone looked to have a promising career as a Southampton player. Having contributed significantly towards the club regaining their Premier League place and making the Adam Armstrong’s winning goal against Leeds in the Wembley play-off Final in 2024, he looked integral to Russell Martin’s plans but 2024-25 was a sobering lesson for all concerned.

He had previously shown plenty of character, fighting back from a ACL injury in 2021 and then being diagnosed with alopecia the same year. He was a unhurried, elegant midfield player who on his day looked capable of running the midfield but on other occasions he could get lost in the hurly burly of competitive Championship football. Nevertheless, he had enjoyed a good loan season at Stoke – during which he won his first Republic of Ireland cap – and in the summer of 2025 with Saints back in the second tier and licking their wounds he decided to make another sideways loan move to Millwall for a season under Alex Neil for whom he had played under at Stoke. Unfortunately he missed a last swathe of the season with a hamstring problem which meant come the summer with his Southampton contract expired he was looking for a new club.