There's a player who has been mentioned a lot since pre-season due to his great agility and skilfulness on the ball, and his name is Samuel Amo-Ameyaw.
He's just 17 years old but is already playing first team football under new manager Russell Martin. In case you're not familiar with how this talented forward ended up here, let's take a step back.
Sam joined Saints from Tottenham's Academy in August of last year, already aiming for a place in the first team at the age of 16: "My aim is to get into the first-team as quick as possible, but first I’ve got to do well with the 18s and progress through to that next level."
Left-back Jayden Meghoma also joined Saints from Spurs. Both of them have international experience, having played for England at U17 and U16 levels.
Last season, Sam made 5 league appearances for Saints U18s, scoring 3 goals and providing one assist. He was quickly promoted to the U21s for the rest of the season, where he scored 4 goals in 12 games. His contributions were significant to the Saints U21s' league victory - they were crowned Premier League 2 Division 2 champions. He also played an important role in the Saints U18s' impressive FA Youth Cup run, reaching the semi-finals of the tournament.
He was called up to train with the first team several times last season, under both Nathan Jones and Ruben Selles. It was great to see his talent being recognised by the first team managers. However, the most important day arrived on May 28th, 2023, when he became the youngest Southampton player to feature in the Premier League. He came off the bench in the 87th minute against Liverpool, replacing James Ward-Prowse. Although he only played for 11 minutes, everyone at St. Mary's Stadium could see that this youngster had a future in the first team, and it wasn't far away at all. It's safe to say that it was the perfect way to conclude his 2022/23 season.
This summer, under new manager Russell Martin, Southampton played five friendlies in July, and Amo-Ameyaw participated in each one of them. It was fantastic to see him being given an opportunity in the first team, and he undoubtedly made the most of it. Last Tuesday, he made his first senior start and full debut, and yesterday he made his Championship debut. It's clear that he can offer a lot to the first team, as Russell Martin stated earlier this week: "I thought Sam was excellent [today against Gillingham], but I don't want to put too much pressure on him. He is going to be a part of our squad all season and he will help us I'm sure."
After yesterday's game, I managed to get in touch with Sam to ask him about his experience in the first team. He explained: "Yeah, it's been really good so far, with the group of boys they have it's quite easy to fit in because they're all welcoming. So yeah, hopefully I can just push on and try to stay there."
I went on to ask him whether he had to sing an initiation song when he was called up to the first team, and he said: "I did have to sing an initiation song last season but it wasn't too bad 'cause I did it alongside my teammates, Kami [Doyle] and Dom [Ballard]."
I've been reporting on Sam since last season, and it's simply amazing to see him making the big step. He has put in a lot of hard work and determination. Well done once again, Sam. The future is bright!
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