Middlesbrough should take advantage of Southampton's surprise Adam Armstrong decision | OneFootball

Middlesbrough should reignite their interest in striker Adam Armstrong amid reports that he is set to leave Southampton this summer.

A new era is underway at Middlesbrough following the appointment of Rob Edwards as the club's new head coach.

Middlesbrough looked on course to achieve a play-off place in the Championship last season when they sat as high as fifth in the table in mid-January, but a poor second half of the campaign saw them miss out on the top six and drop all the way down to 10th place.

After a lengthy internal review into the events of the season, Boro parted company with head coach Michael Carrick earlier this month, bringing his two-and-a-half year spell at the Riverside Stadium to an end.

Former Nottingham Forest and Leicester City manager Steve Cooper and Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Rohl were among the candidates on the club's shortlist to replace Carrick, but Boro have instead decided to appoint Edwards, who had been out of work since leaving Luton Town in January.

Edwards will be tasked with succeeding where Carrick failed and at least guiding his side to the play-offs next season, but if the Teesside outfit are to be among the promotion contenders, they will need to bring in a new striker this summer.

Middlesbrough must find a replacement for Emmanuel Latte Lath this summer

While Middlesbrough were not particularly convincing at any stage last season under Carrick, there is no doubt that the departure of star striker Emmanuel Latte Lath in January damaged their promotion push.

Latte Lath had scored 11 goals and provided three assists in 31 appearances during the first half of the season, but he made the move to MLS side Atlanta United for a fee of £22.5 million on the final day of the winter window, and Boro certainly missed their talisman as their play-off charge collapsed following his exit.

It is easy to see why owner Steve Gibson felt that he could not turn down such a sizeable bid, and it could be argued that the bigger mistake was failing to replace Latte Lath adequately, rather than the decision to cash in on him.

Boro were linked with a late move for Southampton striker Adam Armstrong on deadline day, but he instead joined promotion rivals West Bromwich Albion, and Sevilla striker Kelechi Iheanacho, who had been championed by Carrick, arrived at the Riverside Stadium.

The signing of Iheanacho proved to be a disaster, with the 28-year-old scoring just one goal in 15 appearances during his underwhelming loan spell at the club, and Carrick's errors in the January transfer window are said to have been a factor in the decision to dismiss the ex-Manchester United midfielder.

After selling Josh Coburn to Millwall for £5 million, Boro now only have one out-and-out striker on their books in Tommy Conway, but while he scored 13 goals in 37 appearances during an impressive debut season on Teesside last term, he is unlikely to be able to fire Edwards' men to promotion on his own.

Middlesbrough should take advantage of Southampton's surprise Adam Armstrong decision

Many Middlesbrough supporters look back with horror at the club's decision to sign Iheanacho over Armstrong in January, but as they begin their search for a new number nine, they may be able to land the Southampton man at the second attempt.

While he fell out of favour in the Premier League last season, Armstrong scored 24 goals in 52 games to help the Saints to promotion during their previous spell in the Championship, so it was widely assumed that he would be brought back into the fold at St Mary's following the club's relegation.

However, it appears that Armstrong has been deemed surplus to requirements by new manager Will Still, with journalist Alfie House revealing this week that Southampton are open to allowing the 28-year-old to leave on a permanent basis this summer, despite still having two years left on his contract.

When Armstrong joined West Brom on loan, many assumed that he would thrive after being reunited with his former Blackburn Rovers manager Tony Mowbray, but he scored just three goals in 16 appearances for the Baggies as they finished in a disappointing ninth place.

That underwhelming record may deter Boro from making a move for Armstrong this summer, but they should look beyond his struggles at The Hawthorns and instead consider his prolific form during Southampton's promotion season, as well as his 29-goal haul for Blackburn in the 2020-21 campaign.

Of course, securing the services of a clinical goalscorer like Armstrong would not come cheap for Boro, but they may need to splash the cash this summer if they are to seriously challenge for promotion next season, and completing a deal for the striker would enable them to correct one of their costly January mistakes.