Russell Martin has made it a priority to establish strong leadership within Southampton this season, a problem that has plagued the club for years. After naming Jack Stephens as captain shortly after taking on the role of manager last summer, injuries and suspensions have caused some shuffling in the armband duty.
Stephens missed a significant portion of the previous season due to injury, leading to Adam Armstrong stepping in as captain during his absence. Despite Stephens reclaiming the captaincy this season, a red card against Manchester United saw Taylor Harwood-Bellis take over the role in a recent Carabao Cup match against Everton.
With Stephens serving a suspension, summer signing Flynn Downes was named captain for Southampton’s recent match against Ipswich Town, rather than Harwood-Bellis. Both Downes and Harwood-Bellis solidified their positions as permanent signings after successful loan spells last season.
Downes, in particular, has caught the eye of Martin, who managed him at Swansea City before bringing him to St Mary’s permanently for £18 million. The midfielder, a fan favorite, reflected on the honor of captaining Southampton, despite the irony of doing so against his former club, Ipswich.
The performance of Downes as captain against Ipswich was impressive, with Adam Lallana’s experience also proving valuable. Martin praised Downes’ performance as captain and will likely continue to rely on him for leadership in the upcoming clash against Bournemouth.
