Southampton & Scotland midfielder Stuart Armstrong is out of contract in a little under 4 weeks time, now he has a few decisions to be made, will he accept a new contract offer from Saints, or will he see his future elsewhere with interest from both Italy and a Premier League rival to Southampton.
Stuart Armstrong was a vital part of the Southampton squad that gained promotion back to the Premier League at the first attempt.
He started in 33 games of the regular season and came off the bench in another 9, indeed he would miss only 4 games of the 46, all coming in the last 8 games of the season.
But of course he would also miss the 3 play off games, with 5 goals and 7 assists though, there is no doubt that although he wasn't there at the end, he played as big a part an anyone.
Now he is about to come to the end of his contract he has to assess his options and according to The Daily Echo he has several potential suitors.
They say that the Scotsman who in his 6 seasons at St Mary's has made 214 appearances in all competitions and scored 25 goals is interesting UEFA Conference League finalists Fiorentina and also fellow Premier League side Fulham.
Not to mention the rumours that have persisted over the past year or so that he wants a move back to Scotland and his former club Celtic.
Russell Martin is said to be keen to keep Armstrong at St Mary's and the initial reaction from most Saints supporters would be to sign him up Asap.
But perhaps it is not quite as simple as that, although he has been a mainstay of the Saints side throughout his 6 seasons, in the League he has amassed 191 appearances and 21 goals, there is his age to be taken into account, in 22/23 season as Saints plummeted to relegation he was not a regular in the side, although he would make the matchday squad on 35 out of the 38 games, he would only start 14 of those games plus 18 off the bench.
With just 2 League goals and 1 assist in the Premier League he was not the influence on the side that he had been in previous seasons.
To reinforce that opinion, in 2021/22 his contribution was also fairly minimal, starting just 15 games plus another 10 of the bench, yes his season was interrupted by injury, but again just 2 goals was not a great return.
Yes he has just had a great season, but the difference between the Premier League and Championship is immense, so turning 33 next March, should Saints wish him a fond farewell ?
This will split the fanbase, there will be those that say that he can still do a job and should be offered a new deal and I can certainly see a lot of merit in that, he is a hugely experienced player and we need experience, but then again the evidence is there that it is 3 years since he performed to the highest level, can he recapture that form.
Saints have a plethora of midfielders, some like Joe Aribo who like Stuart had a poor 2022/23 as we hurtled to relegation, but who could perform in the the Championship, some like Will Smallbone whose 6 goals and 3 assist, is comparable with Stuart's, some like Shea Charles who will be looking to make this a breakthrough season and of course the returning Charly Alcaraz, whose surging style could well be the ideal replacement for the Scotsman.
So a difficult decision and one that has to be made without sentiment, whatever happens and to be honest i am comfortable with him staying or leaving, I am sure that we Southampton supporters will thank him for a great contribution to the club and wish him well in whatever he does next.