Southampton may regret January decision as ex-player shines under Nathan Jones: View

Picked up by Charlton Athletic following his departure earlier in 2024, Thierry Small is showing why he was so highly rated once upon a time

Young defender Thierry Small has always had potential, but up until recently a lack of game-time with Southampton and other clubs has hindered him significantly.

A bright young prospect in Everton’s academy, Small became the club’s youngest-ever player at 16 years and 176 days in February 2021 when he replaced James Rodríguez late on in a 3-0 FA Cup win over Sheffield Wednesday.

For Carlo Ancelotti to hand someone such an opportunity, the player has to have something about them.

In December 2020, Ancelotti told The Guardian: “Thierry did well. He is really, really young. He is like a kid, he is only 16 years old, but he has quality and physicality to play with the first team.

“He is one of our best players in the academy, so I was pleased to bring him to train with us. I think for what he is doing it was good for him, too.”

After years of frustration in his early career though, the 19-year-old is starting to show what Ancelotti saw in him and his career looks to be back on track, with a manager who knows all about him in Nathan Jones giving him a chance at Charlton Athletic.

Jones of course was briefly the manager of Southampton last season in the Premier League, and it was under his management that Small was sent to St. Mirren in the 2023 January transfer window.

Seeing Small released by Southampton though before the end of the most recent January window, Jones decided to snap up the teenager for extra competition at left wing-back, and he had a perfect start to life in London by firing in a debut goal against Bolton Wanderers last month.

Small’s impact is comtinuing to grow, having completed 90 minutes in each of Charlton’s last six fixtures and he won the Player of the Match award against Cheltenham Town.

With an average Fotmob rating of 7.15, Small putting in solid performances game-by-game and is starting to show why he he has been so highly-rated in the past – and why Southampton may have been too hasty in releasing him from his contract.

Thierry Small was a hot prospect at Everton and wanted by Real Madrid

When he was just 16, Small had a very promising career ahead of him.

Making his Everton under-18’s debut at the age of 15, Small was regularly playing for the under-21’s in the 2020-21 season when he was just 16 for the most part, and that alerted some big clubs to his services.

Real Madrid were said to have had a bid turned down for Small in the summer of 2021, which would have seen the teen re-unite with Ancelotti, whilst Man United and Arsenal were also keeping tabs.

With Lucas Digne the first-choice left-back at the time, Small knew his game time would be limited despite only being 17 at the start of the 2021-22 season, so having turned down a professional contract at Goodison Park, he was up for grabs.

And it would be Southampton where he would land, having been convinced of a pathway at St Mary’s Stadium to the first-team that was perhaps not there on Merseyside – the Saints offered £1.5 million as compensation but with Everton turning that down, it would be settled by a tribunal.

Of course though, things did not work out as intended for Small on the south coast in the last two-and-a-half years.

Southampton’s loss could be Charlton Athletic’s gain with Thierry Small

Southampton seemed like a good move, especially considering their knack for improving and nurturing young players.

Gareth Bale came through at Southampton as a left-back, as did Luke Shaw, and both would secure big Premier League moves after showcasing their ability with the Saints.

For Small though, it would not pan out the same – he spent most of his first season with Southampton in the under-21’s before then being loaned out to Port Vale of League One at the start of 2022-23.

Small’s time in Staffordshire was a disaster though as he barely featured for the first-team, and he was recalled back to Southampton early by Nathan Jones so that he could be with his actual club before sending him out to Scotland for the final few months of the season.

It is Jones who has once again taken a chance on Small though following his surprise release from the Saints at the start of February, and it’s safe to say that things are working out in the early stages.

Nathan Jones will be good for Thierry Small’s development

Jones will have been aware of Small’s talent while he was in charge at Southampton, so it might not come as a surprise to some that he has put his faith in the attacking wing-back.

And should he continue to impress at The Valley as he has done so already, Southampton may end up having second thoughts about letting him go so early.

Had he stayed, he could have been able to provide Ryan Manning with competition for his place, or at least gone out on loan for the second half of this season and come back next season with a point to prove.

Instead, he was released and now already looks set to extend his contract at Charlton beyond the end of this season, the South London Press have reported, with the Addicks already seeing enough to make sure he’s tied down for next season.

Small won’t be out there to prove his doubters at Southampton wrong though – he will be out to prove himself and the people who believed in him from the very beginning right.

One of those was Ancelotti, who knows a talent when he sees one.

Still only 19, Small has the potential to kick on and get his career back on track at The Valley. If he can do that and reach the heights once predicted for him, Southampton could live to regret letting him go so early and Charlton could profit from their gamble financially.