Middlesbrough is tipped to sign Adam Armstrong to improve upon their Saints' player trick that brought them to touching distance of a Championship promotion in the 2022/23 season.
It may sound exaggerated, but yesterday's summer window action might prove to be the game-changer in the upcoming Championship promotion. And all because of Southampton fans' new Adam Armstrong stance.
Interestingly, if giving up on the forward wasn't enough, the club's recent viewpoint has just changed the promotion dynamics for each second-division club. Needless to say, it's because of one of the biggest Championship heroes, Adam Armstrong being put in the spotlight for grabs.
Frankly, it's too big an opportunity for any club to miss and now, Middlesbrough has been tipped to make the most of it. That's because, as per Football League World, Boro can sign Armstrong to lead their promotion charge.
Having fallen the Championship ladder in recent years, Middlesbrough has been one of the clubs deviating far from the promotion push. But this time, the Boro have a clear aim as they hope to go all the way, avenging how narrowly they missed a Top Flight berth in the 2022/23 season.
In case you don't know, Middlesbrough, with current Saint Cameron Archer had come quite close to securing a hard-fought promotion. But succumbing to a stinging 0-1 defeat to Coventry in the playoffs, they missed making it to the first division.
Middlesbrough can directly challenge Southampton's promotion with Armstrong
Intriguingly, in a new season with a different scenario, Middlesbrough are expected to repeat their Saints player trick again. This time, with Armstrong in Archer's role to go all the way through.
Honestly, should Middlesbrough execute Armstrong's signing, they become one of the promotion favourites instantly. Given the 28-year-old's staggering Championship profile, the Boro can recover grounds for falling short of bringing in Danny Rohl earlier.
Needless to say, it can be too big of an intriguing situation for Southampton. With Middlesbrough likely to exploit the Saints' Armstrong decision against themselves, the Boro emerges a strong contender to dwell as Southampton's biggest promotion rivals.
At this point, it's clear that Southampton needs to intervene if such a situation arises. But having put Armstrong on the transfer market themselves, can the Saints deny Middlesbrough? Let's see.