Southampton FC backed over Adam Armstrong stance but urged to reconsider Ben Brereton Diaz position | OneFootball

FLW’s Southampton fan pundit has issued his thoughts over the futures of Adam Armstrong and Ben Brereton Diaz.

This article is part of Football League World’s ‘Terrace Talk‘ series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Southampton have made early preparations for the upcoming 2025-26 Championship campaign under Will Still.

The former Reims boss has linked up with the South Coast-based outfit on a three-year deal and has returned to his homeland to be closer to his family.

The 32-year-old is tasked with delivering immediate promotion back to the big time, with the playing squad attempting to get used to his methods ahead of their season opener at St Mary’s against Wrexham.

Inevitably, with relegation from the Premier League, some first-team figures are expected to depart the club over the course of the summer.

Adam Armstrong and Ben Brereton Diaz have had their futures called into question, with Southampton reported to have been considering an exit for Armstrong this summer.

Despite this, Still has rebuffed those claims, insisting the duo are part of his plans moving forward, as per an interview with the BBC.

With Armstrong and Brereton Diaz potentially remaining at the club, that would leave the Saints with a staggering five striking options heading into the new season for Still to contend with.

With this in mind, FLW’s Southampton fan pundit has spoken about the forward options at the club.

Southampton goal-scoring ability questioned amid uncertain Adam Armstrong, Ben Brereton Diaz futures

Speaking to Football League World, Southampton fan pundit Martin Sanders has urged the Saints to keep hold of Adam Armstrong for his Championship goal-scoring record, but isn’t “convinced” Ben Brereton Diaz or their other forward options can step up to the plate.

When asked about the array of forward options, Martin said: "I think they’re going to end up with too many, to be honest, too many that are not good enough, in my opinion.

"Adam Armstrong, I’d definitely keep. I’ve gone on record multiple times across my channels and platforms. I did a live show the other night talking about Armstrong and how a lot of fans would be happy to see him go. He scored 24 goals last summer in that Championship campaign. Where do you buy 24 goals?

"Ben Brereton Diaz, I’m not convinced. I was at the friendly the other weekend, and I’m not convinced about his future, although Will Still saying he’s got one. I think they know it’s going to be hard to offload him.

"I don’t know where the goals are coming from other than Adam Armstrong. I know we’ve got Damion Downs in, but he’s still very unproven.

"I’m not sure where the goals are going to come from. We looked really toothless against Eastleigh at the weekend. They didn’t look like scoring a lot of goals, Saints.

"They have a lot of players in those positions. Are there a lot of goals? That’s the question."

Southampton should look to offload two striking options this summer

While depth is vitally important over a Championship campaign, five options for the number nine spot does feel excessive.

In a perfect world, the club will want three strikers to battle it out for a starting spot, with enough replacements there if injuries occur too.

When looking at players to cut loose, Ben Brereton Diaz is definitely one. The Chile international failed to score in 10 Premier League games before a loan spell back to the Championship with Sheffield United, where he didn’t exactly set the world alight either.

Meanwhile, Ross Stewart has had major fitness issues since signing on the dotted line from Sunderland. In the top-flight last term, the Scotsman missed 27 games and 180 days due to injury.

This is a real concern when a Championship term is much more relentless, with Stewart unable to be trusted to stay fit when having to sometimes play three times a week.

This leaves Adam Armstrong, who, despite a poor loan spell at West Brom, scores goals in abundance at Championship level, while Cameron Archer has netted 18 times across two seasons in the second tier for Preston North End and Sheffield United.

Damion Downs will also get an opportunity after his big-money move to the South Coast, with the club hoping he can hit the ground running for his first spell in English football.

The task for Southampton will be to trim down the forward line, with additional funds able to be used for other parts of the squad that need addressing.