SUPER YOUNG looks to have a key role to play for Southampton this season, but Ipswich are lining up an ambitious swoop
Despite finishing behind Plymouth Argyle last season in League One, a lot is expected of Ipswich Town in the 2023-24 Championship season.
The Tractor Boys’ style of football under head coach Kieran McKenna and their prolific nature in-front of goal has seen many tip the Suffolk outfit to have a successful return to the second tier of English football.
Sunderland showed last season that it is possible to make the top six on your first season back at the level if you have the right squad put together, but Ipswich haven’t made wholesale changes to the side that got them up from League One in the first place.
George Hirst has signed permanently from Leicester after last season’s loan spell and Jack Taylor has arrived from Peterborough United to bolster McKenna’s midfield, whilst Chelsea youngster Omari Hutchinson will add pace, flair and creativity either in the number 10 role or out wide.
Despite being an ambitious club, Town haven’t exactly splashed the cash as expected, but they could just be waiting for that one game-changing player to become available.
And it appears they have a target in mind and as reported earlier in the summer by Alan Nixon, Southampton’s Adam Armstrong was on their initial list after not finding too much Premier League success with Southampton following his £15 million move from Blackburn Rovers in 2021.
Armstrong however has started the 2023-24 Championship season in Russell Martin’s starting 11 for the Saints, and he got off the mark against Sheffield Wednesday on Friday night by diverting Nathan Tella’s shot in off the top of his head to open the scoring.
How much do Ipswich want to spend on Adam Armstrong?
The 26-year-old though appears to still be heavily on the radar of Ipswich though with less than four weeks remaining of the transfer window, and per Nixon, Town are willing to spend a mammoth £8 million on the pacey attacker.
That would represent a club-record transfer fee spent for Ipswich, but it looks as though they will not get anywhere in their pursuit of Armstrong.
According to Nixon, Martin is planning to keep Armstrong and utilise him heavily as part of Southampton’s promotion push, and with Che Adams linked with a move back to the Premier League it could mean he is first-choice striker for the entirety of the 2023-24 season.
Every player has a price though and Ipswich could look to test Southampton’s resolve, although £8 million would be a significant loss on the deal that was struck for Armstrong in the first place two years ago.
What is Adam Armstrong’s situation at Southampton?
Armstrong failed to make an impact in the Premier League for the south coast club, scoring just four goals in 53 appearances for the Saints.
He was in and out of the starting line-up last year under three different managers but there is still a chance of repaying his transfer fee by scoring goals in the Championship to get his club back to the Premier League.
Having signed a four-year contract in 2021, Armstrong still has two years remaining on his deal at St Mary’s Stadium, so he would not be available for a cut-price fee.
Ipswich can make an offer for the forward, but it’s very likely that they will be turned away in the process.
In what was their first match at this level since the 2009/10 season, goals from Morgan Whittaker, Bali Mumba and Ryan Hardie were enough to cancel out Michal Helik’s effort for the visitors.
Rather than basking in their own glory after the victory, though, it appears it has spurred the club on to make further improvements in the transfer market this summer.
Steven Schumacher’s side have already confirmed eight new arrivals so far this summer and it seems as though a ninth could be soon on the way.
What is the latest Plymouth Argyle transfer news?
That is according to the latest transfer news surrounding the club, which suggests a further midfield addition could be imminent.
Indeed, according to Football Insider, Plymouth Argyle are in advanced talks to sign Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Luke Cundle on loan.
The report claims that the midfielder has been a target for a number of clubs in the EFL this summer, but that Plymouth are now ‘in the driving seat’ to land his signature.
Cundle had been involved in Wolves’ pre-season training camp in Portugal this summer, but, crucially, was omitted from their squad for recent friendlies versus Porto, Celtic and Rennes.
That was Cundle’s first taste of senior football on a regular basis, having only played for Wolves prior to that.
Cundle does have seven Wolves appearances to his name at senior level, though.
His debut for the side came in 2019/20 in the EFL Cup, with his most recent showing coming in the Premier League in 2021/22.
Will Luke Cundle’s loan deal include an option to buy?
At this stage, it is unclear whether or not Luke Cundle’s proposed loan move to Plymouth Argyle would include an option to make the deal permanent.
