Southampton have well and clearly run up the white flag in terms of their survival chances this season with the announcement that they are letting their top striker over the past couple of seasons leave on loan.
I have to say I am extremely disappointed to see that Adam Armstrong has left Saints to join West Bromwich Albion on loan, given that we have already seen Ben Brereton Diaz leave the club, it leaves the club short of truly proven striking power.
The top scorer this season in the Premier League this season is Joe Aribo, he is followed by Adam Armstrong with 2 goals in 15 starts and 5 off the bench, Tyler Dibling with 2 goals in 14 starts and 6 sub appearances and Cameron Archer with 2 goals in 10 starts and 11 off the bench and finally Paul Onuachu whose 2 goals in the last few weeks come from 6 starts & 8 sub appearances.
So the departure of Armstrong leaves the club without a truly proven striker at this level.
Some will argue that Armstrong's goal tally in the Premier League is not great, but it's not just about goals, it is about work rate and Armstrong more than anyone worked hard to provide chances as well as score them.
Last year Adam Armstrong was our talisman in the Championship, scoring goals and creating them, it feels like the spirit of that team is being squeezed out of it.
Ivan Juric clearly has his own opinions and what he sees as the way forward, I accept that, but I felt that we had the foundations of a team that could have done better in the Championship next season than last year, but we have ripped the heart out of it.
As I have said it is like we have run up the white flag, we have been trying to trim the squad, I didn't think it was that desperate, but it seems that it is about saving money this season and that we are putting that ahead of our admittedly very very slender chance of staying up, by getting whoever we can off the books.
In the last few days players who have been the backbone or even the future of the team have suddenly become hot property, Armstrong has gone, Sam Amo -Ameyaw has gone & Flynn Downes has suddenly been the subject of bids, clearly the club have been putting the word around, a case of cutting costs wherever we can and that is worrying.
I hope that this is truly a temporary move, that it is about saving money now than an indication of how the team will be set up next season, we need proven players at Championship level, we need a backbone of the side and at the moment too many players.
I wish Adam Armstrong all the best at West Bromwich Albion, but I truly hope that when we are back in the Championship next season, he is back at the club.