IT’S fair to say that Adam Armstrong’s Saints career is yet to reach the levels he, or the club's fans, would have liked.

On the surface, Southampton’s decision to sign the forward in 2021 was a strong idea. The club had just sold Danny Ings to Aston Villa for £25 million and Armstrong had just scored an impressive 28 goals league goals for Blackburn Rovers.

That total was only bettered in the Championship by Brentford’s Ivan Toney - who scored 33 goals - and remains a career-best total for the Geordie.

Given his age at the time, 24, and his goalscoring track record a £15 million fee was a respectable figure when he arrived. With a goal on his debut against Everton, the excitement around his arrival began to grow further.

However, the former England youth international has struggled to plunge goals at that same proficient rate during his two seasons on the south coast.

Last season, he only managed to find the net three times in 39 games across all competitions.

That was only a slight improvement on his two goals from 28 games during his debut campaign at St Mary’s.

When compared to other forwards who play in Europe's top five divisions, Armstrong ranks in the 31st percentile for touches in the opposition's penalty area per 90 (3.1). His 1.69 total shots per 90 (26th percentile) and 1.62 shot-creating actions per 90 minutes further highlight his issues in the final third.

This, in part, could be due to him playing a different role at Saints than he did in Lancashire.

Having arrived as a centre forward, he received the majority of his game time last season on the wing - something he described as an "eye-opening" experience when talking to the Daily Echo in May.  

READ MORE: Southampton's Armstrong admits hope to stay at club in Championship

Despite two forgettable seasons, all is not lost yet. The 26 year old still has two years left on his contract, and a return to the Championship could provide the injection of goals needed to revive his Saints career.

The Newcastle youth product scored 42 goals during his two previous campaigns in the Championship - at a rate of a goal every 165 minutes.

Those figures came after a difficult first season in the Championship with Blackburn, where he only managed to score five times.

Russell Martin has a track record of reviving careers that previously looked destined to fizzle out.

At Swansea, he instilled a level of confidence in Liam Cullen that helped the academy graduate transform from a fringe squad member to one of the first names on the teamsheet.

Daily Echo: Adam Armstrong featured in a new role against GoztepeAdam Armstrong featured in a new role against Goztepe (Image: Matt Watson / SFC)

That surge in form earned the 24 year old forward his first senior Wales call-up in March.

Martin could look to repeat that trick to help Armstrong get his career back on the right track as Southampton aim to bounce back to the Premier League.

If Saints are to successfully carry out their intention of an instant return to the top flight, they will need to find a way to score goals more consistently.

Only Wolves (31) and Everton (34) scored fewer goals than Saints (36) last season as they finished bottom of the Premier League. Their issues in front of goal are further highlighted by the fact that they underperformed their expected goals (41.06) by five goals.

For comparison, teams who have gained promotion from the Championship over the past three seasons have averaged 77.78 goals.

With eight more fixtures to be played this season, against a different level of opposition, an increase in goals is to be expected, though a major uptick will be needed to reach promotion-winning levels.

Southampton’s second pre-season friendly under new boss Martin saw Armstrong be used in a totally new way.

Against Goztepe he was tasked with dropping deeper to help with the build-up. Playing as a number 10, rather than as a number nine, Armstrong was one of Southampton’s deepest players on occasion.

Daily Echo: Adam Armstrong seen dropping all the way to left-back against GöztepeAdam Armstrong seen dropping all the way to left-back against Göztepe (Image: WyScout)

Speaking to the Daily Echo after the game, Martin explained the forward’s new role, saying: “At the minute it’s about trying to get everyone in the team and get them minutes but also we know that Adam can do it.

“He’s a really outstanding footballer. We did it a lot with Joel Piroe at Swansea, he started as a nine and played as a 10 for us last season. Adam is not too dissimilar to him in terms of technical ability and understanding of the game.

“I think he (Armstrong) can play wide for us, I think he can play nine and 10 so we want him comfortable in as many positions as we can.”

It’s important to note that one pre-season game isn't enough to go by, however, Martin’s words do point towards a new role for Armstrong next season.

Whether he continues in the position we have become accustomed to over the past two seasons, or he adopts a new role, Saints fans will be eager to see more from the ninth-most-expensive signing in the club’s history.