Southampton FC are running the risk of unrest amid new Will Still revelation | OneFootball

Will Still's wealth of attacking options could prove an issue this Championship season

Will Still’s confirmation that Adam Armstrong and Ben Brereton Diaz have a role in his Southampton team if they wish could lead to a serious headache this season.

The new manager has claimed that he has held talks with the pair of forwards and that their futures are up to them at this stage.

“Those two definitely do [have futures at the club] and I’ve had good conversations,” said Still, via the BBC.

“They can be as important as they want to be really.

“They’ve got bags of Championship experience, they’ve got a certain personality that could be really useful, so it’s up to them if they want to be a part of it.”

But keeping them around along with the likes of Cameron Archer, Ross Stewart and new signing Damion Downs risks leaving too many cooks in the kitchen, which could be a big risk going into the season.

Will Still’s difficult forward dilemma

Southampton played their first pre-season friendly of the summer last weekend, beating Eastleigh 2-1 in a fixture where the result won’t have any impact on Still’s thinking.

The performances of his players will be the real key to understanding who will earn their place in his first team plans.

It was notable that the Saints started with all of Armstrong, Brereton Diaz and Stewart in the first XI.

Archer and Downes came on for the second half, with Still giving each of his forward options an opportunity to get minutes under their belt.

However, once the season starts and the fixtures start coming thick and fast, a consistent starting lineup will begin to present itself, and it will be impossible for the manager to keep everyone happy when he has so many options at his disposal.

New signing Downs must be on Southampton’s radar as someone that will play a significant role this season, otherwise questions will arise over the point of his arrival.

Southampton risk upsetting the balance of the squad

But all three of Brereton Diaz, Archer and Armstrong have proven themselves as consistent goal scorers at this level, while struggling in the Premier League.

While that kind of attacking firepower may be crucial for a promotion push, the evidence is now stacking up that the trio would all struggle to help the Saints stay in the top flight.

Armstrong managed two goals and two assists last season before being loaned out to West Brom in January, with Brereton Diaz not even getting on the score sheet before his temporary departure to Sheffield United.

Meanwhile, Archer scored just twice, while Stewart found the back of the net once from 12 appearances as injuries continued to hamper him.

Armstrong and Brereton Diaz are flexible players that can offer Still options out wide as well, but with players like Tyler Dibling, and potentially Jay Robinson ready to play regular minutes, they will want to avoid blocking their pathway to the team.