The Saints are in need of a striker of similar prowess to Ross Stewart, and the exit of Armstrong has seemingly sanctioned this swoop.
Saints in talks for striker
Southampton are in talks to sign Canadian striker Cyle Larin, 30, who is on loan at Feyenoord from Malaga, as a replacement, reports Jack Rosser.
This comes after the soon-to-be Championship club Wolverhampton Wanderers agreed a £9m deal with the Saints to sign Adam Armstrong.
The deal being discussed for Southampton to sign Larin will also be a loan. After the Canadian’s dismal spell at Feyenoord, where he has featured 15 times and scored just once, it will be a fresh start for all parties.
However, Southampton are not the only option for Cyle Larin, as he looks to move on from his loan at Feyenoord - but Saints are currently the most active side in the race for his signature, reports
Is Larin an upgrade?
It is a bold move for Southampton to let club top scorer Armstrong go midway through the season, so the replacement naturally needs to be spot on.
However, Larin does not resemble a confident striker, having not had a consistent goalscoring season since his loan spell at Turkish club Beşiktaş in the 2020/21 season.
The 30-year-old will be looking to rediscover some form if he heads to Southampton. The striker will be in the frame to make Canada’s final 26-man squad, being picked by boss Jesse Marsch.
In his outing for Feyenoord on Thursday, where he started for the Dutch club against Real Betis, Larin had a total of four big chances and a total xG of 1.37. He came away from the match goalless, in Feyenoord’s 2-1 loss.
Despite being Southampton’s top scorer, Adam Armstrong has been a huge underperformer on xG, with no player in the Championship underperforming on this metric more than the Englishman [-4.0].
The Saints will be hoping that Larin, a six-foot-two forward who is more of a focal point for a football side, will be able to deliver on more of his chances than Armstrong did.
With 7 goals in the Spanish first division, La Liga, last season, Larin is clearly capable, but many players tend to struggle when switching to English football.
Another strange decision
Bringing in a 30-year-old who has generally struggled for form in Europe, replacing somebody capable in the Championship, is another strange move by Sport Republic.
An injury to Ross Stewart would leave Southampton with an out-of-form Cameron Archer and an unknown quantity in Larin up front.
When Saints boss Tonda Eckert was asked if he is confident that the club will come out of the window in a better place than they went into it, the German said, "Yes. I'm very confident that the club will take the right decisions."
It is appearing rather bleak for Sport Republic and Southampton now.