Southampton are now staggeringly 19 games unbeaten in the Championship after a thumping 4-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday at the weekend. Russell Martin’s Saints are on song and look like a tough nut to crack at the top end of the division.
The south coast side are now within touching distance of the top two places in the division, with the whole squad playing their part against the Owls – four different goalscorers chipping in against Danny Rohl’s beleaguered away side to secure a comprehensive win.
Yet, although Adam Armstrong got on the scoresheet himself for the high-flyers in the victory, the prolific Southampton man could be supercharged even further with this potential addition in through the door at St Mary’s this month.
Southampton going after Premier League winger
talkSPORT journalist Alex Crook revealed on social media late last month that the promotion-chasing Saints were interested in bringing David Brooks to the club on loan, with a further development recently only adding more fuel to the fire over a potential deal.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT in the past few days, journalist Dean Jones confirmed that Martin’s side are going after Brooks with the transfer ‘one to genuinely keep an open mind about’ from a Southampton perspective.
A deal to bring in the current AFC Bournemouth winger could see Armstrong moved back to a far more comfortable centre-forward position, Martin shoehorning his star-man into a right-wing role owing to Che Adams’ upturn in form.
Acknowledging that this decision to play the Saints number nine out wide recently has made Armstrong a ‘bit annoyed’ when speaking to BBC Radio Solent directly after the Wednesday demolition job, bringing in Brooks could see Martin opt to start the exciting Cherries attacker there instead to link up with Armstrong up top.
If Adams also decides to move on from St Mary’s this transfer window, it’s a win-win deal for all involved.
Why Brooks would benefit Armstrong
Brooks and Armstrong could make the Southampton attack even more terrifying for Championship defences to attempt to thwart, 4-0 and 5-0 wins on their own patch becoming customary now even without the additional firepower of the Welsh winger in the side.
During his last full campaign at this level for the Cherries, the slick attacker managed to contribute to 11 goals in total with five goals and six assists tallied from 32 games.
With those numbers in the Saints set-up now, Brooks wouldn’t be far off the likes of Samuel Edozie and Ryan Fraser who both have five and seven assists next to their name respectively in an attack just oozing strength in numbers.
Yet, the 26-year-old can stand out from the pack making the short trip across the South Coast from Bournemouth to Southampton if signed.
Boasting a promotion to the Premier League on his Cherries CV could make him a worthwhile buy alone, alongside glowing comments from previous managers who single out how dazzling Brooks can be on his day.
At the peak of his powers in the top flight during the 2018/19 season – helping himself to five goals and seven assists across a breakthrough season – the then Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe praised Brooks for his “intelligent” play on the ball after scoring in a 2-0 win over Brighton. Further praise would be forthcoming during Scott Parker’s time at the helm, the former midfielder labelling Brooks as “first-class”.
Armstrong being unleashed back in a lone striker role is a no-brainer move, the 26-year-old becoming more of an assist machine than a goalscoring one in recent weeks but could well be the prolific finisher Southampton require to mount a more aggressive charge for the automatic promotion spaces.
Finding the back of the net an astounding 70 times at second-tier level during his career to date, Martin will hope the goals continue to flow with Brooks next to him in the team with a promotion to celebrate come the end of the season as a result.