Southampton To Fend Off Championship Rivals
Southampton intend to fend off Championship rivals Ipswich Town and keep striker Adam Armstrong, as revealed by Adam Nixon via his Patreon.
The Tractor Boys are targeting a move for the Southampton forward and are reportedly willing to go as high as £8 million to add the former Blackburn Rovers striker to their squad. However, new boss Russell Martin is keen on keeping Armstrong at St. Mary’s this season, said to be a fan of the forward’s attitude and goalscoring threat.
Armstrong was left out in the cold last season in the Premier League, as the Saints were relegated from the top flight along with Leeds United and Leicester City, but was included in Russell Martin’s team in their first Championship fixture with Sheffield Wednesday on Friday evening. And the 26-year-old got himself on the scoresheet unintentionally, Nathan Tella’s strike deflecting off of him and hitting the back of the net as they won 2-1 at Hillsborough.
The forward made 30 appearances in the Premier League for the club last season, with 16 of those coming from the bench and 14 in the starting lineup. In that time, he hit the back of the net twice and provided one assist, but the Saints were on the receiving end of some poor results. Armstrong was signed from Blackburn Rovers, where he made 160 appearances, scoring 64 goals and notching 19 assists.
Armstrong started with Newcastle United and was loaned to League One sides Barnsley and Bolton Wanderers. He made 35 appearances with the Tykes, scoring six and assisting four. During his time with Bolton Wanderers, he scored three goals in 23 appearances. The forward also spent time with Coventry City. His time with Newcastle came to an end in 2018 when Blackburn Rovers made his loan move permanent. He remained at Ewood Park until 2021 before being signed by Southampton.
Kieran McKenna is looking to reinforce his side this season following last season’s promotion to the Championship from League One, and he has his sights set on Armstrong, but Southampton are reluctant to sell. McKenna currently has Conor Chaplin at his disposal in his side, who enjoyed a stellar goalscoring campaign last season with 26 goals in 45 games.
Ipswich Town kick off their season this evening against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.
Writer’s View
Southampton are targeting an immediate return to the Premier League, and Armstrong’s goalscoring prowess could help them achieve that. His first goal was unintentional, but he does have a talent for scoring, as proven during his time at Blackburn Rovers in the Championship. Ipswich are looking to reinforce in the Championship and provide competition to Chaplin, but it seems they may have to look elsewhere.
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These 2 Southampton FC players will surely leave by 11pm on September 1st
Football League World assess the short-term future of two Southampton players who could be sold during the course of the next month.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Southampton are starting a new era under Russell Martin in the Championship after being relegated from the Premier League.
- Several key players have left the club, including Dan Ndlundlu, Kegs Chauke, and Mohammed Elyounoussi, while some have stayed.
- There is speculation that Romeo Lavia and Che Adams could also leave Southampton before the end of the transfer window, with Liverpool and various Premier League clubs interested in their services.
Southampton are about to embark on a new era at the club under Russell Martin, beginning their first Championship campaign in over a decade this weekend.
They finished bottom of the Premier League during the 2022/23 campaign and plans are well underway this summer in preparing the side for a season in the second tier, in which they will be hoping to make an immediate return to the top-flight next season.
There have been a number of changes behind the scenes this summer, including a managerial switch at St. Mary’s, with Ruben Selles leaving the club for Reading and Southampton filling the vacated position with Martin.
In terms of departures, Martin’s side have seen Dan Ndlundlu join Bolton Wanderers, Kegs Chauke move to Burton Albion, Mislav Orsic depart for Turkish side Trabzonspor, and Ibrahima Diallo join Al-Duhail.
The club have also seen the likes of Mohammed Elyounoussi, Theo Walcott, and Willy Caballero depart upon the expiry of their deals on the south coast, as well as Mateusz Lis moving to Gozetepe in a temporary switch on loan.
However, they have retained some key players, with Romeo Lavia, James Ward-Prowse, Kamaldeen Sulemana, Tino Livramento, and Kyle Walker-Peters still remaining with the club.
Continuity has been the key for the Saints, who have so far signed just two players to their first-team. Martin has reunited with Ryan Manning, who arrived on a free transfer from Swansea. Shea Charles also joined the club from Manchester City for a reported initial fee of around £10.5 million, as per Sky Sports.
Who else will leave Southampton before the end of the window?
There are likely to be plenty of other changes to personnel as well, in what Southampton fans hope is the beginning of a new era under the stewardship of Martin. Here, we take a look at some other players who could leave his side heading into the final month of the window.
Will Romeo Lavia leave Southampton?
The once-capped Belgian international joined Southampton for a reported fee of around £14 million from Manchester City last summer but could be on the move again.
The interest has mounted throughout the current transfer window, with David Ornstein of The Athletic now believing there is a “high chance” Liverpool will complete a deal to sign Southampton’s midfield star despite firm interest from Chelsea.
The two sides remain apart in terms of valuation, as reported by Fabrizio Romano. He claims that Southampton insist on £50 million as the overall package.
A deal is not agreed but it has been reported elsewhere that a move away from Southampton is close, with Florian Plettenberg of Sky Sports Germany backing up Ornstein’s claim by reporting yesterday that Liverpool are now in pole position over their competitors, such as Chelsea.
He played 34 times in his first full season as a professional player in the top-flight but has since returned to the club this summer. However, will surely be playing elsewhere come the end of the transfer window, with Anfield his most likely destination.
Does Che Adams have a Southampton future?
Adams is into the final year of his deal on the south coast and will almost certainly depart the club before the end of the transfer window, given that it is the last opportunity for the Saints to make any kind of money on him.
The 27-year-old joined the Saints in July 2019 from Birmingham City and has gone on to score 31 times in 145 appearances for the club.
He has already been linked with a move away various times during the current window, one report from Daz Hale of BBC WM states that Wolves are one of a number of Premier League sides keen on the centre-forward following Southampton’s relegation to the Championship.
Another of those who have also entered the race is Premier League new boys Burnley, who are keen on Adams and are believed to think £12 million will be enough to win the race for his signature.
However, the latest side to be linked with a move for Adams is Everton, with The Sun reporting it could cost any interested side up to £15 million despite his contract situation at St. Mary’s.
