Adam Armstrong reveals the truth behind why he's left Southampton to join Wolves | OneFootball

Armstrong has ended his long-term spell with the Saints to initially return to the Premier League

Adam Armstrong has revealed his thought process behind the decision to end his association with Southampton FC and join the Premier League's bottom club, Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The 28-year-old had become the subject of intense speculation in the final days of the winter transfer window, and despite Saints' hopes of retaining the services of their top scorer, the forward returned to the West Midlands for the second time in 12 months after the Old Gold and Black were able to agree an reported initial fee of £7m for his services.

Southampton have endured an extremely dismal first season back in the Championship, with the South Coast club unable to mount a sustained bid for promotion or the play-offs throughout the current campaign under the management of Tonda Eckert and his predecessor, Will Still.

Saints are currently 14th in the second tier standings after 30 matches played, despite the fact they were able to record a second victory in three outings last time out with a 2-0 success over Stoke City.

Eckert's side are now seven points behind the top six with 16 matches still to play, although their chances of recording a second promotion in three seasons through the post-season lottery have since taken a massive dent through Armstrong's decision to leave the club after four-and-a-half years at St. Mary's after joining from Blackburn Rovers.

Whilst some may be questioning his decision to move to Molineux based on the fact Rob Edwards' side are currently still well adrift at the foot of the Premier League table despite a relative recent upsurge, the former England youth international has explained exactly why such a decision was made.

Adam Armstrong speaks out on £7m Wolves, Southampton FC transfer agreement

It was first reported on January 20th that Armstrong had begun to consider a new challenge away from Saints, who acquired his services for £15m in the summer of 2021 after the striker's impressive spell at Ewood Park.

The striker had then become the subject of links to Championship promotion hopefuls in the form of Middlesbrough and Wrexham, although Saints had also outlined their stance on the matter, which was that they hoped their key asset would at least remain a part of Eckert's squad for the time being.

However, with less than 18 months left on his contract, Armstrong's spell with Southampton concluded after 174 appearances and 43 goals, with the most memorable of those coming against Leeds United in the 2024 play-off final.

It has also been revealed that his transfer to Wolves includes a further £2m in add-ons, whilst the former England youth international explained why he put pen-to-paper on a three-and-a-half year deal in WV1.

“Being at a club for so long is good, but it was time for a change. My family and I are extremely excited to get up here and get things sorted," said Armstrong.

"I’ve got nothing but good words to say about Southampton because they made me into a man, from when I first joined when I was younger.

"I’m so thankful to them for allowing me to come here and progress my future. Molineux is amazing. As an opposition player, it's a nice stadium," he added.

"A good atmosphere, big pitch, and they're only fond memories, but not for myself because we’ve always been beaten here, but I’m excited.”

Despite Armstrong's exit, Saints were able to retain the services of Cameron Archer, who will hope to return to form sooner rather than later.

Eckert will also hope he has sourced an adequate replacement in the form of Canadian international, Cyle Larin, who joined on loan with an option-to-buy from RCD Mallorca.

Larin has scored 30 goals in 87 international appearances, and he will hope to translate such numbers into Championship football in order for Southampton to gather some much-needed momentum.