Why Celtic have done great business by selling Stuart Armstrong for £7m
Southampton have confirmed the signing of midfielder Stuart Armstrong from Celtic on a four-year deal. Armstrong, 26, has joined the Premier League outfit for a fee believed to be in the region of £7m.
The Scotland international was part of the Celtic side, which won the double treble under manager Brendan Rodgers. However, Armstrong endured a difficult campaign last term due to injuries as he managed just 14 starts in the Scottish Premiership.
But have Celtic done the right thing by selling him to Southampton?
Armstrong has been a great servant for Celtic since arriving from Dundee United in 2015. He had an intriguing few years at Paradise, with one stand-out season. In the 2016/17 season, he scored 17 goals to guide Celtic to the treble.
But unfortunately, Armstrong was unable to hit similar heights last season as he just scored just five goals and provided six assists in 41 appearances in all competitions.
Armstrong is a fantastic player but his departure from Celtic Park won’t create much of a problem for Rodgers as the Scottish champions are heavily stocked in midfield.
The likes of Tom Rogic, Scott Brown and Olivier Ntcham have all performed well for the Hoops whenever called upon. Also, Callum McGregor has already shown that he is capable of taking Armstrong’s place in the Celtic first-team.
With £7m in the kitty, Rodgers should invest those funds smartly to bring in a replacement for Armstrong. As impressive as Armstrong has been for Celtic, it must not be forgotten that he struggled with injuries and had very less impact last season.
Rather than investing the money received from Armstrong’s sale on a midfielder, Rodgers must use it to strengthen his defence. The Hoops are already packed in midfield and therefore, it would make sense for the manager to splash money on shoring up his backline.
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No doubt it is a blow for Celtic to lose Armstrong but the money they have received certainly makes it a good business. So, the idea of Rodgers cashing in on the 26-year-old Scotsman makes complete sense.