"If he was willing" - Sheffield Wednesday urged to consider one Stuart Armstrong factor amid potential swoop | OneFootball

Our Owls fan pundit would like to see Stuart Armstrong join the club, but only if he is willing to take a wage cut

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...

Sheffield Wednesday have been urged to try and sign former Southampton and current Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Stuart Armstrong this month, following reports of their interest, as long as he is willing to take a wage cut to move back to the Championship.

Armstrong is best-known in English football for his time with the Saints, where he made 214 appearances in six years, scored 25 goals, and helped them win promotion back to the Premier League last season prior to his release in the summer.

The Scottish international also boasts Champions League experience from his time with Celtic, after winning four Premiership titles in as many seasons with the Bhoys from 2014 to 2018, but now plies his trade in the MLS with Vancouver Whitecaps after joining the Canadian side in September on a two-year Designated Player contract.

The MLS season finished in November and now does not resume until late next month, and Armstrong has now been linked with a move back to the Championship by transfer journalist Alan Nixon, via Patreon, who has claimed that Wednesday are keen to snap him up, with hope that he is looking to return to England as soon as possible.

Wednesday told to complete Stuart Armstrong swoop if wages aren't an issue

Armstrong joined Vancouver towards the end of the 2024 MLS campaign, and got off to a decent start with a goal in his second league game for the club, but struggled to make a real impact with just one start in six appearances in the regular season.

He registered a goal and an assist against Portland Timbers in the qualifying rounds of the play-offs, but was unable to help the Whitecaps to glory as they crashed out in the next round to reigning champions Los Angeles FC.

The 32-year-old was still impressive in his last stint in the English second-tier, with five goals and seven assists in 42 outings as Southampton won promotion back to the top-flight through the play-offs, so would presumably be a solid addition to Wednesday's ranks if they can get a deal over the line.

The main sticking point in a possible move could be Armstrong's $48,077 (£38,371) weekly earnings, according to Capology, but our Owls fan pundit, Patrick McKenna, has urged his club to try and complete the move to bring him in, as long as he is prepared to take a potential wage cut to move to South Yorkshire.

He said: “In regards to Stuart Armstrong, I suppose really the first point to address is his wages.

“If it’s the case that he would want to stick to the money that he’s on now, and there isn’t any desire to see a reduction, then it's a deal that we would just have to walk away from straight away, unfortunately.

“But, if he was willing to take a wage drop to come to us, he would be a very good signing, and would certainly add strength to our midfield.

“Against Bristol City we got a look into the future as to what it’d be like with a weakened midfield, when Shea Charles was withdrawn for the second-half and Liam Palmer came on and gave an honest performance, but was way off the pace.

“You can’t argue with the pedigree of Stuart Armstrong, and what he has achieved in his career so far. At the level we are at, especially, he has played for teams who have been higher up the league and has been a solid player for them.

“He will chip in with the occasional goal as well, which is an added bonus. I would like to think, with a signing like this, a big part of what he could bring would be that experience and knowhow.

“We can’t consistently rely on Barry Bannan being the experienced man in midfield. You can see Armstrong coming in and providing a guiding hand to the young talent like Shea Charles.

“Danny Rohl is very meticulous, and obviously thinks highly of Stuart Armstrong if he is looking to get him to Hillsborough.

“If his wages are quite significantly reduced then I would be interested in him coming to Hillsborough, and he definitely would be a smart addition.”

A move for Armstrong makes sense for the Owls this week

Wednesday have not been in great form as of late, but a 2-0 win over QPR last time out will have brought belief back to their squad that they can make a real push for the play-offs in the second-half of this season.

Rohl's side are currently in 10th place, just three points off Middlesbrough in sixth, so a few shrewd additions as the deadline edges ever closer could the catalyst to their potential success over the next few months.

According to Alan Nixon, the Owls were interested in Armstrong prior to his move to Vancouver after he had been released by Southampton, but the player chose to go to Canada, yet considering his tough first few months out there, he could well be ready to return to these shores to play in a more competitive and intense environment that is much closer to home.

Boss Rohl will also be well aware of his talents from his time as Assistant Manager of the Saints from December 2018 to August 2019, and a player of the 32-year-old's calibre is certainly not to be sniffed at for a mid-table Championship team, with 51 caps for his country and nearly 150 games played in the Premier League.

If he was to join, he would almost certainly become a starter soon enough alongside the likes of Shea Charles and Barry Bannan, but one concern that Wednesday could have is possible fitness issues, given that he has not played competitively for over two months.

Despite that, Armstrong would definitely be a smart signing for the Owls to make in this window, and he could play a huge part in their push for the play-offs if he does join soon.