Finally, after weeks of speculation over a possible transfer, Stuart Armstrong has made his switch from Celtic to Southampton for a sizeable £7m fee. The midfielder was a massive figure in Brendan Rodgers’ squad, as evident from the Hoops manager’s words.
Armstrong used to be a cemented starter for Celtic and played an instrumental role in the club’s consecutive domestic treble. He has made close to 150 appearances for the Hoops in total, having featured in 41 games last term alone and being directly involved in 11 goals.
He and Scott Brown held down the fort from the central locations and used to be the backbone of almost every Celtic attack. The Inverness-born player is now a six-time Scotland international after only making his debut last March.
He is a prolific midfield talent who can run opposition players to the ground. The 26-year-old has developed himself into a top professional and has all the makings to succeed in the Premier League.
As far as replacing him is concerned, Rodgers will have to scour the transfer market but it is unlikely that he will find a worthy talent within his price range.
Here are a few candidates he should consider.
John McGinn
The Hibernian player has been at the very centre of the Scottish Premiership rumour mills this summer. McGinn served his country over the past month and has been linked with a number of clubs, including Celtic.
The 23-year-old had featured in 46 games in the last campaign and scored 6 goals while making 8 assists. He helped the Cabbage to the 4th spot of the Scottish Premiership and is about to enter the final 12 months of his contract.
The Hibs themselves are holding out for the best offer and it is likely that Rodgers can easily make a swoop for him by reinvesting the money generated from the sale of Armstrong.
Liam Henderson
Not the biggest of names as Henderson currently plies his trade at Bari 1908 in the Serie B but certainly one to look out for. The 22-year-old is versatile with his positioning and has the technical ability to formulate attacks.
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Milos Jojic
FC Koln has been relegated to the German second division and yet the 26-year-old is part of the side with a year-long contract. The Serbian once played for Borussia Dortmund and has 5 caps to his name for his country.
