West Brom can force Southampton FC's transfer hand - Tony Mowbray must deliver a Championship shock though | OneFootball

West Brom could capture the permanent signing of Adam Armstrong from Southampton, but only if they secure a shock promotion back to the Premier League

West Brom significantly improved their chances of promotion back to the Premier League with the loan capture of Adam Armstrong.

The Baggies managed to stave off interest from other second-tier heavyweights like Leeds United for the 28-year-old’s signature, with the forward struggling to translate his goalscoring exploits from the Championship into the Premier League on the South Coast.

Much excitement was generated across the Black Country by Armstrong’s arrival, particularly after the ex-Coventry City star netted 21 times at St Mary’s last season and was a major factor to Southampton’s immediate return to the big time.

The marksman will be hoping he can have a similar impact at West Brom and fire them back among England’s elite, but only two goals from his first nine games indicates better form is yet to come.

West Brom could seal permanent Adam Armstrong move if PL promotion is secured

If Tony Mowbray could steer West Brom to a surprise promotion this season, then surely the club would be in the driving seat to sign Adam Armstrong on a permanent deal, given Southampton are all but relegated back down to the Championship this term.

While it is unknown whether the majority of Baggies fans would welcome the permanent addition given his struggles in the top-flight, opinions could change very quickly if Armstrong gets on the goalscoring trail on a regular basis at The Hawthorns and contributes to some significant victories.

There has been a case of Mowbray’s system not getting the best out of Armstrong, with the loanee struggling to get involved in games when playing as the lone striker.

Known as a poacher and a fox in the box with his diminutive size, there have been clammers from the stands to add a target man to partner Armstrong and get him more involved in games, with the likes of Will Lankshear and Daryl Dike options the 61-year-old can use.

If a tweak in the system can get Armstrong back to showcasing his goalscoring talents like at Southampton, then the frontman could turn himself into a fan favourite in blue and white stripes and have a lot of support from the fanbase to make his stint permanent.

However, such a deal for Adam Armstrong will only happen if he is assured of Premier League football, and that would be a shock when other sides look much stronger than Tony Mowbray’s men in the race for the play-offs.

The Baggies would be competing against the likes of Sunderland, who have shown high levels of consistency across this season and are 12 points clear of Albion in the table.

Meanwhile, the team who finishes third in the Championship would surely be favourites to win the play-offs and secure the third promotion spot.

The likes of Burnley have been stellar defensively, recently registering a remarkable 13 straight clean sheets before conceding at Cardiff City at the beginning of March.

Meanwhile, Leeds United or Sheffield United could slip to third, but right now they have shown tremendous quality to compete for a place at the summit of the Championship, and are a staggering 23 points clear of the Baggies.

Meanwhile, Albion have shown struggles in form and haven’t registered back-to-back wins in the Championship since September 2024, so it is difficult to see the team defying the odds and toppling the best teams in the division.

While the play-offs can be considered a lottery, it would take an almighty scalp to be the last team standing for promotion, but that appears to be the only way to attract a player like Armstrong to the club for the long-term future.