What's happening with ex-Southampton and Birmingham City star Che Adams in Italy? | OneFootball

Football League World takes a look at how former Southampton and Birmingham City striker Che Adams is doing for Serie A club Torino

Southampton and Birmingham City supporters will be united in looking out for how their former striker, Che Adams, is faring in the Italian top flight for Torino.

Adams joined Birmingham from Sheffield United in the summer of 2016 and went on to produce a memorable 2018/19 campaign for Blues, notching 22 goals and four assists in 46 Championship appearances.

Despite the Scotland international's efforts that season, though, the St Andrew's outfit finished just 17th in the second tier, 12 points above the play-offs and 22 points adrift of the play-off places.

Adams' performances for Blues did enough to impress Southampton, who signed him in the summer of 2019, when they were still a relatively long-serving Premier League outfit.

Ex-Southampton and Birmingham City striker Che Adams is embroiled in Serie A relegation battle after Wolves transfer saga

Adams never scored more than nine goals in a Premier League season for Southampton before joining Torino in 2024, showing that he was better suited to the Championship.

His most prolific season in Saints colours came in the 2023/24 second-tier campaign, when his return of 16 goals and four assists helped the Hampshire club win promotion.

The 29-year-old's differing exploits in the Championship and Premier League will have left both Southampton and Birmingham fans wondering how he would perform for Torino in Serie A.

Adams notched a relatively respectable return of 10 goals and four assists in 38 appearances across all competitions in his debut season in Italian football last term, with 12 of those goal contributions coming in the top flight.

This season, the former Saints and Blues man faces somewhat of a battle to match those figures, as he has scored six goals and produced two assists in 28 appearances in all competitions.

Adams' side were beaten 2-1 by Napoli in the top flight on Friday, with the Scotland man coming off the bench to produce an assist for former Leicester City midfielder Cesare Casadei's late consolation goal.

Their draw with Antonio Conte's men left Roberto D'Aversa's side just six points above the relegation zone with just 10 league games remaining.

However, a top-half finish in Serie A could also be in Torino's reach if both they and Adams can turn their fortunes around.

Meanwhile, BBC Sport reported on February's transfer deadline day that Premier League strugglers Wolverhampton Wanderers were waiting to hear back from the striker's current club after making a £6.9million offer for his services.

Somewhat ironically, Wolves instead signed Adams' former Southampton teammate, Adam Armstrong, while the Saints acquired fellow forward Cyle Larin on loan from Mallorca.

The Scotland international's finest moment so far this season came when he scored a brace as Torino defeated Roma 3-2 in the last 16 of the Coppa Italia.

However, the Turin outfit were beaten 2-1 by Inter in the quarter-final, with Adams playing no part in the fixture that happened just two days after Wolves' aforementioned transfer offer.

The 29-year-old subsequently missed his side's 3-0 defeat to Genoa on 22 February, thanks to an injury.

Meanwhile, Adams felt proud of Torino's 2-2 draw with Fiorentina on 7 February, as he wrote on Instagram: "Close to victory against a tough opponent."

Supporters may have been less proud of the fact that their side failed to beat a relegation rival, even though the game was on away soil.

World Cup could hand Che Adams the opportunity of a lifetime

Torino are threatened by relegation, but Adams' main motivation to perform between now and the end of the season could be that he is battling the likes of Middlesbrough forward Tommy Conway for a place in Scotland's World Cup squad.

Scotland had not qualified for the World Cup since 1998, meaning that this summer marks Adams' first, and potentially last, opportunity to represent his country on the biggest stage.

The former Sheffield United man played for Steve Clarke's men in Euro 2024, but failed to score in three appearances as they were knocked out in the group stage.