da cassino： As the summer rolls on and the new season looms in the not so distant future, transfer speculation is reaching fever pitch up and down the country with fans, newspapers and websites all speculating on which players will be the latest to make a big move.
da betway： One player who has been at the centre of recent speculation is Celtic midfielder Stuart Armstrong. The Daily Mail reported earlier this month that English Premier League side Southampton were eager to make him a summer signing.
With reports like that and the fact he has yet to sign a new contract, with his current deal due to expire next year, Celtic fans have been anxious that they could be set to lose one of their top performers from last season.
For Southampton fans though it should be an exciting prospect.
Armstrong has emerged as one of the brightest prospects north of the border and here are THREE reasons why he could be a perfecting signing for Mauricio Pellegrino…
Signings from Celtic always do well at St Mary’s
Southampton have found plenty of joy shopping in Scotland in recent years and at Celtic specifically. They’ve recognised the Hoops’ talent of bringing in players, polishing up their talent and making them capable of performing at UEFA Champions League level. While the Saints likely won’t be in that competition any time soon, it means that they can acquire real quality at a lower price they’d pay if they were shopping in England.
There’s been Victor Wanyama, who the club sold on for a big profit to Tottenham Hotspur, Fraser Forster, who was virtually ever present throughout last season and of course Virgil van Dijk, who has wowed supporters with his dominant defensive displays and who could provide the club with a massive incoming transfer fee.
Stuart Armstrong could follow in their footsteps, he’s coming off a season almost as impressive as any of those players managed in their time at the Hoops. His dynamic midfield displays have made him very popular with supporters and many would be as sad to see him leave as the trio that have already made the switch from Glasgow to Southampton.
He’s a long-term replacement for Steven Davis
It’s been five years since Steven Davis signed for Southampton and in that time he’s proven to be one of their best signings in the modern era for the Saints. Now captain of the club, he’s made close two 200 appearances for the club and typifies the fighting spirit that the club often show week-to-week in the English Premier League.
Like Armstrong he once shone in the Scottish top-flight, spending four-and-a-half successful years with Rangers and emerging as one of the best midfielders in the division. Like Armstrong he was noted for his energy and willingness to get forward for Rangers and while his role at Southampton is more restrained now, at the age of 32, has many of the attributes that the Scottish midfielder has.
Armstrong has also shown exceptional leadership at the Hoops, even filling in for Scott Brown as captain on the rare occasions he missed matches last season.
At 25, he could be seen as a long-term replacement for the Northern Ireland international, performing a very similar busy role in the first-team.
His goal-scoring from midfield is perfect for the Premier League
Perhaps the biggest stand-out feature of Stuart Armstrong’s game is his finishing and goal-scoring ability. He notched up 17 last season in all competitions from the middle of the park, and wasn’t even playing in an advanced number 10 role for many of those. He has an uncanny ability to commit himself forward at the perfect time and tuck away goals from the edge of the box from lay-offs or on the follow-up.
He’s already off the mark this season too, netting in UEFA Champions League qualifying on Wednesday night. With big goals against Rangers and Inter Milan in his time at the club, he’s shown he’s a big game player and can find the cutting edge in important matches too.
Overall he’s netted 24 goals from midfield in 106 matches for Celtic, 83 of which were starts. For a player whose game doesn’t rely on scoring it’s a fantastic return that complements his bustling defensive and passing capabilities well and could be a huge difference maker in the Premier League for Southampton.