After a difficult start to the season which saw him arguably at fault for some of the goals Southampton conceded, Gavin Bazunu has now kept back-to-back clean sheets and has only conceded two goals in his last five games.
The Saints stopper signed in the summer of 2022 and was trusted as the club’s first-choice goalkeeper in the Premier League last season despite being just 20.
With Southampton finishing bottom of the top flight, it was a difficult season for the Ireland international as he faced his fair share of criticism. However, Bazunu has turned things around this season and will be better for the experience gained at the top level last campaign.
Bazunu was not alone in his struggles to prove himself to be good enough for the Premier League though, and he has backed a current teammate to take their second chance in England’s top tier should they be given the opportunity.
Adam Armstrong proving the doubters wrong
That teammate is Adam Armstrong; the man initially signed in the 2021 summer transfer window with the unenviable task of replacing the departed Danny Ings.
Ings had left big shoes to fill having scored 46 goals in his 100 Saints appearances and unfortunately Armstrong has as yet been unable to replicate the impact of his predecessor. In 68 Premier League appearances, Armstrong managed just four goals which is a meagre return for a player the club spent £15 million to sign from Blackburn Rovers.
This season, though, Armstrong is clearly flourishing from a combination of being the main man and also returning to a level where he knows he can score goals. In his last season at Blackburn, the 26-year-old scored 29 goals and registered five assists in all competitions. This season, the striker has already got 12 goals and four assists in 19 Championship games and is flying with the trust of manager Russell Martin.
Armstrong scored a brace in Southampton’s 2-0 win over Cardiff in their last game which displayed his qualities in and around the box, finishing impressively with a left foot strike into the far corner before heading home from a matter of yards.
Such is Armstrong’s form that he has been nominated for the PFA Championship Fans’ Player of the Month award for November, with his two goals and two assists coming in an unbeaten month for the Saints.
Can Armstrong score goals in the Premier League?
Southampton are currently on an unbeaten run of 11 games and sit fourth in the Championship, with the club making no secret of their ambitions to return to the Premier League at the first time of asking.
Armstrong, who has been given the captaincy in Jack Stephens’ absence, has shown already that he will be key to achieving that objective; especially given the injury setback suffered by Ross Stewart. However, should Martin’s side secure promotion, question marks will still linger over Armstrong’s ability to make the step up and score goals on a regular basis at the elite level.
One person who has complete faith in his teammate is Bazunu, who hailed the striker’s influence in the past few months. Speaking to the Daily Echo, Bazunu said: “(Armstrong) has been brilliant over the whole course of the season and I have no doubt that he will continue to get more over the season.”
The shot-stopper went on to back his temporary captain to recreate his current form should the Saints be promoted, saying: “If you see the chances he has been getting this season and the way he has been taking them. I have no doubt that, in the Premier League, he’d be able to take them.”
Armstrong himself will have to prove himself again if he does get a second chance in the Premier League, but if the marksman continues scoring at his current rate he will deserve the opportunity to do just that.