42.9% shot accuracy: The Southampton player attracting transfer interest from Watford and Middlesbrough

Watford have emerged as a potential destination for Southampton forward Adam Armstrong this summer.

As per The Sun, the Hornets are interested in signing the 25-year-old up on a loan deal ahead of the 2022/23 Championship campaign.

Watford face competition from Middlesbrough, too, although it is said that both face a tough task convincing Armstrong to drop down a division.

Armstrong earned himself a £15 million Premier League move from Blackburn to Southampton last summer, but it would be fair to say things did not quite click for the forward in his first season.

With all of the above in mind, here, we’ve looked at his numbers from the 2021/22 campaign in order to see what sort of player Watford and Boro could potentially be getting.

Armstrong’s 2020/21 numbers are thrown in, too, for Championship context and comparison.

All numbers are from WyScout, unless otherwise specified.

When looking at the statistics, we thought it best to start with the very basic numbers.

Armstrong appeared 28 times for Southampton in 2021/22. scoring two goals and registering three assists.

This was a stark contrast to the numbers he put up at Blackburn in the Championship the season prior, when he scored 29 goals and registered five assists in 43 matches.

A lot of Armstrong’s performances came as a sub, though, so we will use per 90 metrics to compare from now on.

At Southampton, Armstrong’s xG was significantly lower than at Blackburn, t00.It was 0.28 when at the Premier league club last season, whilst at Blackburn in 20/21, Armstrongs xG was 0.71.

The amount of shots that Armstrong took, and the accuracy of them, also took a hit when with the Saints last season, managing a shot accuracy of just 26.8% on 2.65 shots per 90.

At Blackburn, the