Shots on Target Tips: Adam Armstrong’s outrageous shots stats make him one to side with this season

Southampton have acted quickly in replacing striker Danny Ings, who joined Aston Villa for £25m last week, by signing highly-rated front man Adam Armstrong from Blackburn for a fee in the region of £15m. 

The 24-year-old was a standout performer in the Championship last season, scoring 28 goals for Rovers which saw him end the campaign as runner-up to Brentford’s Ivan Toney in the division’s top-scorer chart. 

His arrival goes some way in reassuring Southampton fans that they will indeed have a goal-supply this season, with many left fearing the worst when their leading marksman from the previous two seasons departed for Villa Park.

A tough act to follow

It must be said that Ings will be an almost impossible act to follow. The ex-Liverpool man enjoyed a terrific three years at St Mary’s, scoring 46 goals in 100 appearances for the south coast club in all competitions.

Ings scored 12 league goals last season as the Saints flirted with relegation throughout, while 2019/20 saw him find the net 22 times in the top-flight as he missed out on the Golden Boot to Jamie Vardy by just one goal. 

While it would be a surprise to see Armstrong reach those heights in his first full Premier League season, the former Newcastle striker will not be afraid to shoot this term. His Shots on Target (SoT) statistics from 2020/21 highlight just what a positive player he is in the final third, as he registered at least one Shot on Target in 34 of his 40 appearances in the second tier. 

Armstrong only failed to register a SoT in 6 league outings last term, while he managed 2+ SoT in 23 of his 40 league appearances; 3+ SoT on 15 occasions; 4+ on 9 occasions and 5+ on 4 occasions - impressive stuff to say the least. 

In total, Armstrong registered a mammoth 85 Shots on Target in the Championship last season, dwarfing Ivan Toney’s return of 60, despite playing eight fewer games than the Brentford front man. 

Saints’ creativity should benefit Armstrong

Much of Armstrong’s success last season was due to the creativity of Liverpool loanee Harvey Elliott. The 18-year-old chipped in with 11 assists which massively helped his then-teammate in front of goal, winning the ball high up the pitch before creating quality chances in the final third. 

While Southampton do not have Elliott at their disposal, they have players of equal - or even better - quality in the shape of James Ward-Prowse, Stuart Armstrong and Che Adams, who last season provided a combined 17 assists in the top flight. 

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side play with an intensely high press and plenty of energy. The Austrian’s whole game plan revolves around winning the ball in the opposition’s half and not giving them a moment of rest as soon as they are out of possession. Ings was pivotal to executing this throughout the last two-and-a-half seasons so replacing him with a like-minded player was of huge importance.

In Armstrong Southampton have a tenacious forward-thinking player, who is as intelligent off the ball as he is on it. While this should yield positive results for his new employers, the rewards could be sizeable for Armstrong himself should he get the required service from his new supporting cast. 

The bookies may well underestimate a league newcomer

We have seen Armstrong’s ability in front of goal first hand, and more so his determination to shoot as soon as even the slightest sight of the net opens up in front of him. The step up in quality is certainly set to be a factor, and it would be hugely surprising to see him replicate those gargantuan figures from 2020/21 this time around. 

However, the 24-year-old is certainly a player to keep a track of when looking for shots and Shots on Target tips during the forthcoming campaign. Due to being a newcomer to the league, he could find himself overpriced in said markets as the bookmakers often have a tendency to underestimate players who have little experience in the top flight. 

As last season taught us, though, that is one thing you should not do to a player who is so determined to score goals every time he steps onto the pitch.