Southampton urged to make big Adam Armstrong decision amid potential exit reports - it's a 'bare minimum' | OneFootball

Adam Armstrong has reportedly considered moving on from St Mary's

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Southampton FC have been urged to retain the services of their talisman, Adam Armstrong, amid reports that the experienced striker has weighed up the potential for a new challenge in his career.

It has been an extremely frustrating first campaign back in the Championship for Saints, albeit they were able to return to winning ways in the league with a narrow 1-0 success over Sheffield United on Wednesday.

Prior to the victory over the Blades, Tonda Eckert had come under intense scrutiny from large sections of the fanbase on the South Coast, with the German largely unable to build on an initially positive string of results he put together during his spell as interim head coach and in the first two games of his permanent stint, which followed on from the dismissal of Will Still on November 2nd.

At present, Southampton are currently 15th in the second tier standings, having accumulated a total of 36 points from 28 games, and they are currently seven points behind Preston North End, who currently occupy the final play-off position.

It has been an intriguing winter transfer window so far at St Mary's, with more outgoings approved than incomings as Gavin Bazunu, Ronnie Edwards and Damion Downs have all departed on either loan or permanent deals, whilst Eckert's reshuffle in the goalkeepers' union also saw Daniel Peretz complete an initial temporary switch from Bayern Munich.

Football League World exclusively revealed that a host of Premier League sides are continuing to keep tabs on one-time England international, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, and Saints could potentially be braced for a double blow if both he and Armstrong were to depart without any adequate replacements being sourced.

As such, FLW's Southampton FC fan pundit, Martin Sanders, has urged the club to do everything within their power to retain the striker's services as they look to address what has been a frustrating campaign between now and the end of the season.

Southampton FC urged to retain Adam Armstrong amid departure hints - "club legend" claim made

It was reported on Tuesday by Rudy Galetti that the former Newcastle United academy graduate is considering a new career venture, having spent almost five years with the Saints.

Armstrong first moved to the South Coast side under the management of Ralph Hasenhuttl in the summer of 2021 after a £15m fee was agreed with Blackburn Rovers.

After initially struggling to aclimatise to the Premier League under the Austrian and during the first of two relegation campaigns during his spell with the club, the North East native became a cult hero under Russell Martin in the 2023/24 season as Saints regained their top flight status at the first time of asking.

Armstrong scored 24 goals across the club's promotion-winning campaign, with the last and most important of those coming in the play-off final success over Leeds United.

Yet, after another difficult season in the Premier League, the striker has still scored 11 times in 28 games so far this term despite the fact Saints have been unable to mount a sustained promotion bid.

As such, Sanders has revealed how much of a blow it would be to lose his services, and that, if anyone was to be a replacement, it would be Joel Piroe of Leeds.

"He's a club legend, Championship legend, hero, really for us when we got promoted," Sanders told FLW.

"He was brilliant that season and scored lots of goals. He's phenomenal in the Championship.

"Even this year, he had a really good spell for a little period and has gone off the boil. But, he's still one of the Championship's top scorers.

"It would be absolutely crazy to let him go at the moment without a really good replacement to come in" Sanders stated.

"Joel Piroe, I like. I think he's a brilliant player and would be everything we need. I just don't think he'd step down and play in the Championship.

"You've got to remember we're not exactly the most attractive proposition for any player at the moment in the January window.

"As difficult as it is, I would say they need to keep Armstrong until the summer as a bare minimum and then re-evaluate," Sanders added.

"He's been the vice-captain as well and he's just a top guy.

"I'd be really surprised if we let him go at the moment, as a Championship club that needs to find some form of stability one way or the other."

Southampton replacing Adam Armstrong with Joel Piroe looks extremely unlikely right now

It would be a disaster for many Saints fans if Armstrong was to leave, although at this point, the club do still hold a fair amount of bargaining power, as the forward is under contract until 2027.

However, it is fair to say that he has proven himself to be a cut above many other Championship strikers, and the same can be said for Piroe, who has been linked with a move to a whole host of clubs in the second tier.

But, it has recently been reported that the Dutchman has snubbed offers from as many as five clubs in the division, with Saints being one of those, meaning that the likelihood of selling one clinical striker at this level and replacing him immediately with another looks extremely unlikely at present.