Southampton will win Championship this season - Downes

Southampton midfielder Flynn Downes says he and his team-mates have a "chip on their shoulder" that he believes will help them win the Championship this season.

Saints were removed from last term's play-offs following the Spygate scandal, with the process still playing out just weeks before the start of the upcoming campaign.

After head coach Tonda Eckert was last week charged by the Football Association, the club still await a verdict on how he will be punished for "bringing the game into disrepute" through his role in spying on rival clubs.

However, Downes - one of Saints' key players since joining initially on loan from West Ham in 2023 and then permanently the following summer - says the club are coming into the new campaign with a point to prove on the pitch.

And the 27-year-old is backing them to win the league despite beginning the season with a four-point deduction due to the spying saga.

"The club, players and staff have really come together," Downes told BBC Radio Solent.

"It's as if we have a chip on our shoulder and we want to put those wrongs right, we're going [into the season] to win the league this year.

"I know we're starting on minus four points but our mindset is that we're winning this league and that's it.

"We had the chance last year but didn't get to [achieve it] for whatever reason but we're looking strong so far."