Southampton midfielder Flynn Downes says the squad have a "chip on their shoulder" and are determined to win the Championship this season, despite the club starting the campaign on a four-point deduction. The penalty follows the Spygate scandal that saw Saints removed from last season's play-offs, with head coach Tonda Eckert recently charged by the Football Association over his role in spying on rival clubs and a verdict still awaited weeks before the new season begins.

Downes, who joined permanently from West Ham in 2023 after an initial loan spell, has made more than 100 appearances for Southampton and says he feels in the best form of his career heading into his fourth season at the club. Saints have won pre-season friendlies in Germany against Eintracht Braunschweig and Preussen Munster, and open their campaign with a Carabao Cup tie away at League Two side Colchester United on Saturday, before facing Watford in their first league match the following weekend.