West Brom encouraged to complete signing of £13m striker this summer

Former England international and current Sky Sports pundit Lee Hendrie has backed West Brom to finalise the permanent acquisition of Southampton striker Adam Armstrong.

The Baggies signed the 28-year-old in a dramatic late deadline day deal on February 3, bolstering their forward line in their push for Championship play-off qualification. Armstrong hasn’t scored in four games since netting on his debut in a 2-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday but he’s undoubtedly added quality and experience to Albion’s attack.

Last season was one of the best in Armstrong’s career as he contributed an impressive 21 goals and 13 assists in 46 Championship matches. The striker then added a further three goals as Southampton were promoted to the Premier League via the play-offs, beating West Brom and Leeds United.

It wasn’t quite as strong as the 2020/21 campaign when Armstrong scored 28 times in 40 league games for Blackburn Rovers but the attacker certainly proved his worth. The Championship seems to be his level as he has struggled whenever he’s reached the Premier League, with merely six goals and six assists in 88 top-flight matches to date.

Hendrie, who racked up 251 appearances for Aston Villa between 1994 and 2007, believes Armstrong should remain in the second tier. Southampton are destined to be relegated from the Premier League, so Armstrong could theoretically succeed at St Mary’s Stadium, but Hendrie reckons the attacker would benefit from a permanent transfer to West Brom.

In an interview with Football League World, Hendrie was asked whether Albion would make a good fit for the long-term. “I think so,” he responded. “He's proved that he can score goals in the Championship, you look at his record with Blackburn and then obviously Southampton where he scored bundles of goals.

"I think it's also about having the right fit for the club and West Brom have a really decent squad of players. They've had to cut back on who they bring in, I think it would all depend on what sort of fee.

"Most clubs would certainly look to take Armstrong because when you've proved that you're a goalscorer in the Championship, the top clubs do look around that and think 'yes, let's get his signature'.

"I think it would be a great purchase for West Brom if everything was right going forward, because he scores goals."

Would Southampton accept Armstrong’s departure?

If West Brom do decide they want to approach with a permanent bid for Armstrong, it could be difficult to negotiate with his parent club. Southampton will already be planning ahead for their expected drop down to the Championship and they’ve already got a proven goalscorer at that level in their ranks, so why would they let him go?

Armstrong, who was convinced to join West Brom instead of Leeds United due to his pre-existing relationship with Tony Mowbray, could of course force a move. The former Newcastle United man is a top professional, however, so that approach seems unlikely.

According to Transfermarkt, Armstrong has a current value of around €16 million (£13.3m). Such a fee would probably prove too significant for the Baggies, who would look to whittle down the price tag.