In the past week or so Southampton have been linked with both James Maddison and Stuart Armstrong – but who would be better the option for the Saints?
There’s no denying that the south coast side are in desperate need of new attacking options, with both players capable of playing as either a central midfielder or further up the pitch as a #10. With all of Southampton’s striking options looking isolated for periods last season, someone new to pull the strings behind the forward should be a priority.
If current rumours are to be believed, the main two targets at this point in time are Celtic’s Armstrong and Norwich’s Maddison – with both apparently being given the blessing to look for new teams this summer.
The former – a fully-fledged Scottish international – has been a shadow of his former self this past campaign to be frank. In the 2016/17 season he scored 17 goals all in all whereas this time around managed less than a third of that.
Maddison meanwhile enjoyed a breakout campaign at just 21-years-old, scoring one-in-three with 14 goals whilst also setting up another eight in the league.
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Both Maddison and Armstrong have therefore only really had one breakout season in terms of goal-scoring, with the Norwich midfielder’s coming at a much younger age in comparison to the Scot.
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However, whilst Southampton should be blessed with plenty of transfer funds, Armstrong would cost the Saints much less than Maddison, with the 26-year-old potentially available for much less than £10 million whereas the Englishman would logically cost around £15-20 million.
In addition to that, Armstrong is only contract for another year, meaning that ‘less than £10 million’ valuation could easily lower and lower dependent on how desperate Celtic are not to lose him for nothing.
Considering signing wingers and a new striker should also be on Southampton’s to-do list, spending shrewdly may be a smart move especially if signing reported targets Quincy Promes and Paco Alcacer would cost nearly £50 million on their own.
However, Maddison – who is a naturally quicker player than Armstrong – has been directly involved in a goal in nearly 200 less minutes than the 26-year-old, which is a drastic difference in productivity.
In addition, the 21-year-old is strong from set-pieces which is something the squad could desperately use – currently only James Ward-Prowse can deliver a mean free-kick and the 23-year-old wasn’t often utilized under Mark Hughes meaning Maddison would be a helpful addition.
One downside of the Norwich midfielder however is who the Saints would face as competition for his signature. Everton and West Ham are the other two teams discussed, with both clubs able to offer higher wages, in a more appealing city, with a frankly more appealing club considering Southampton’s relegation struggles last campaign.
Southampton meanwhile would only be rivaled by the likes of Crystal Palace for Armstrong’s signature, and with no disrespect to the Eagles they probably have the same pulling power as the Saints meaning it may be wiser to go for the Scotsman.
To conclude, it seems like Maddison would be the wiser option of the two, however it will be a deal that will cost more and will be a lot harder to get across the line. Armstrong’s lack of productivity this past season is concerning, but roll the clock back a year and he would’ve been the more appealing signing of the two – however all in all the younger of the two seems the wiser player to go for.