Back in August, Southampton confirmed the £15m signing of Adam Armstrong from Blackburn, beating Crystal Palace and West Ham to his signature.
At the time, it seemed as if Ralph Hasenhuttl had got himself a fine striker, as the 25-year-old scored 29 goals in 43 games last season.
The Crystal Palace fans were certainly upset after missing out on Armstrong, to say the least.
Now, however, the Crystal Palace and West Ham supporters will probably be breathing a huge sigh of relief.
What’s the story?
Well, after a bright start, Armstrong has fizzled out.
The Southampton No.9 scored on his Premier League debut against Everton back in August, and also provided an assist on his third outing against Newcastle.
However, in the 25 appearances since his goalscoring debut at Goodison Park, Armstrong has only managed to score one more goal.
It means the former England Under-21 international has netted just two goals in 26 appearances across all competitions for the Saints, which is quite disappointing for a £15m signing.
That equates to £7.5m per goal, which does not make for good reading.
Armstrong didn’t even get off the bench on Saturday as Crystal Palace came from behind to win 2-1 at St Mary’s – sadly, he has spent the last four Premier League games on the sidelines, without playing a single second.
Crystal Palace & West Ham can’t laugh yet
While Patrick Vieira and David Moyes will presumably be glad about missing out on Armstrong now, they still need to sign a goalscorer.
The south Londoners have heavily rotated in that area this season, with Christian Benteke, Odsonne Edouard and Jean-Philippe Mateta all getting a chance this season at various stages.
However, the deadliest of these options are Edouard and Mateta with just six goals, so a more prolific forward is needed.
In West Ham’s case, they still haven’t signed a replacement for Sebastien Haller, and Moyes simply cannot expect the injury prone Michail Antonio to play week in, week out.
Keep an eye on both clubs this summer, as we expect them to rectify this issue.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
