After beating Walsall 4-0 in the FA Cup last weekend, Southampton were in scintillating form as they returned to league action on Saturday to beat Sheffield Wednesday by the same scoreline.
Russell Martin must have watched on in sheer delight as his Southampton side put an in-form Wednesday side to the sword and showed a relentless streak to turn their 70% possession into four goals.
Adam Armstrong continued his fine season with a goal and two assists, while Ryan Fraser impressed once more and scored his third goal in two games. The other two goals were scored by Che Adams and Sékou Mara – the latter again performing having come off the bench.
The big decision Martin had to make before the game was who was going to lead the line. With summer signing Ross Stewart set to miss the rest of the season, and Adam Armstrong playing his best football from a wide right position, it was between Adams and Mara for the centre-forward role.
Martin went with Adams and his decision was proven to be the right one as the Scotland international put in a fine performance and broke the deadlock in the 35th minute, cleverly working himself some space before smashing in with his left foot.
What is the latest on Che Adams’ future?
That goal made it four goals in the last five games for Adams, taking his tally for the season to eight goals in all competitions.
Adams has constantly been linked with a move away from St Mary’s for the past two seasons, with his upturn of form seeming to always coincide with the arrival of the transfer window.
The reason the speculation regarding the 27-year-old’s future is so intense is that Adams’ contract is set to expire at the end of the season, meaning he will be available for free in the summer. Premier League clubs who need a striker may not feel they can afford to wait and, given Adams’ contract situation, he will be a cheap option with experience in the top flight.
Adams was linked with a summer move and was left out of the squad for Southampton’s third league game of the season against QPR, with Martin explaining the striker was not in the right frame of mind given the transfer speculation he was receiving. Wolves and Everton are the two Premier League who have shown the strongest interest and Adams has not done anything dampen the speculation as he has refused to sign a new contract.
Speaking about Southampton’s plans for this month, Martin explained: “Ideally, we don’t lose anyone and we add one or two who can add not just on the pitch but to the group”.
Adams’ recent form has given the club an unwanted dilemma. His improvement means his value will have risen despite his contract situation, but Southampton will want to reap the rewards of Adams’ being back to his best and know that he has his experience up front for the promotion push.
Keeping Che Adams key to Southampton’s promotion hopes
Martin himself will be desperate not to lose Adams this month, particularly as the centre forward has started to show the form that many hoped he would at Championship level.
The Southampton boss will accept that a suitable offer is likely to see the club sell, though, and this could trigger the Saints making a move for a striker themselves. Hearts captain Lawrence Shankland is one name that has been mentioned as a possible target this month but Martin will no doubt prefer to keep Adams now that he has started to regularly find the back of the net.
An in-form Adams is one of the best strikers in the Championship, with his link up play and relentless running. He is a menace to opposition defenders and provides a focal point for his teammates in a way that other attackers in the Southampton squad cannot, which means his tendency to miss big chances can be somewhat forgiven.
Adams’ former manager Ralph Hasenhuttl referred to the striker’s runs without goals and subsequent purple patches as the ” ketchup bottle phenomenon”, explaining the analogy by saying: “So a long time – nothing – then everything comes.”
Southampton are in the market for a right winger, with names such as Amad Diallo, David Brooks and Manuel Benson all being linked in the past few weeks, but Adam Armstrong has been flourishing in that role and has struggled to have the same impact when asked to play as the lone striker. With Adams taking up the central berth, Armstrong can continue to start from a wide position and Adams can bring him and others into play.
Armstrong has 14 goals this season but, until Adams’ recent run, he was the only player scoring on a regular basis for the Saints. With Adams now firing, it makes Southampton a much tougher threat to nullify and means that if anything were to happen to Armstrong then Martin’s side should have enough firepower to cope.
The aim this season is a return to the Premier League at the first attempt and Southampton have a much better chance of achieving that with this version of Adams staying for the remainder of the campaign.
The Saints had a temporary taste of the automatic promotion spots as Ipswich were the late kick-off on Saturday, but they will be looking to reside there more permanently in the next few weeks.