Southampton have been dealt a huge blow in their bid for promotion as the player signed in the summer to spearhead their attack has effectively been ruled out for the season.
Southampton are currently on the longest unbeaten run in the top four leagues in England, having gone 14 games without tasting defeat. After a wobble in September saw the club lose four in a row, Russell Martin has turned things around and the Saints now sit fourth in the Championship.
Despite this impressive run, Southampton have struggled in the final third at times and lacked a cutting edge in front of goal. Adam Armstrong struggled in the Premier League but is the Championship’s second top scorer this season on 12 goals. The problem is the lack of any other regular goalscorer in the side, with Che Adams and Sam Edozie next best with four each; Edozie scoring two in his last two.
Southampton fans were hoping for a more potent attack in the new year, with one key player set to return. However, those hopes were dashed as Martin confirmed some bad news in his pre-QPR press conference.
Ross Stewart out for the season
That damning news was that £10 million summer signing Ross Stewart is likely to miss the entirety of the season.
Southampton identified Stewart as their main attacking target in the summer and eventually captured his signing on transfer deadline day. It was a steep fee for a man who has only played 15 Championship games in his career to date, albeit scoring ten and assisting three in said games, and was due to be out for a total of ten months with a serious achilles injury.
Add to that the fact that Stewart was in the last year of his Sunderland contract and it shows just how desperate Southampton were to bring the Scotland striker to the south coast.
Speaking ahead of the QPR game, Martin confirmed the worst, saying: “I think we need to be honest and realistic with Ross. We probably wont’t see him again this season.”
Martin added: “Although it’s a short-term pain for us, long-term we need Ross to have a full pre-season. To risk him for three or four weeks this season seems a bit crazy”.
Whilst Martin downplayed the impact of the Stewart news, fans will be devastated that they are unlikely to see their marquee summer signing again this season. The worst part is that Stewart had made his first two Southampton appearances, but picked up the hamstring injury that will now keep him out long-term in a ten minute cameo against Huddersfield Town.
Will Ross Stewart injury news mean Southampton sign another striker?
With Stewart confirmed to be out, Southampton may have to rethink their January transfer plans. It puts the club in a situation that could leave them very light upfront, as Adam Armstrong is the only striker at the club who has a certain future.
With Stewart out, this leaves Southampton with three fit senior strikers. Armstrong is one of those, but has not been playing as a stereotypical centre-forward; instead starting from a wide right role and drifting inside. The other two are Adams and Sékou Mara.
Adams is out of contract in the summer and is expected to have Premier League interest in January despite failing to have much impact in the Championship. Martin will be expecting the Scotland international’s departure if a suitable fee is offered given that the striker has shown no indication of any desire to sign a new contract.
Mara was impressive in his half hour substitute appearance against Blackburn Rovers last weekend, scoring one and winning a penalty, which may see him have more game time in the coming games but is also linked with a temporary move away.
Carlos Alcaraz has been playing as a false nine in Martin’s 4-3-3 system which has somewhat negated the need for a conventional striker at times, but Southampton will still feel they are light in attack with the Stewart injury news.
Therefore, it may be that Southampton’s hand is forced in January. It may be seen as short-term thinking given that Stewart will eventually return but, with Adams likely to leave, Southampton’s promotion push may rely on them getting a striker through the door.
Martin did not speculate on the impact the Stewart news has on January plans in his press conference, but was insistent that Stewart will still be a success at the club, saying: “I still maintain he will be a brilliant signing for this football club over a long period of time. We need to make sure he is right.”
It is almost unthinkable now that Mara is allowed to leave in January, despite the player desperately seeking more minutes as he looks to secure a place in France’s Olympics squad for next summer. However, it would come as no surprise if we see a striker come in to help carry the goalscoring burden.
Perhaps, given Southampton have big plans for Stewart long-term, the best solution would be to secure a six-month loan signing which will see Martin’s side through to the end of the season.