Exclusive: Lee Hendrie urges West Brom to seal permanent Southampton FC agreement | OneFootball

Lee Hendrie spoke exclusively to Football League World about Adam Armstrong and whether West Brom should consider a permanent deal

Sky Sports pundit and former Aston Villa defender Lee Hendrie has encouraged West Bromwich Albion to consider a permanent summer move for Adam Armstrong, who joined the Championship promotion hopefuls on loan from Southampton last month.

Armstrong's arrival at The Hawthorns resembled something of a statement of intent from the Baggies in their second straight bid to return to the Premier League via the second-tier play-offs. West Brom are in sixth place and look capable of finishing the season in one of the final two play-off positions under Tony Mowbray, who returned to the club earlier this season following Carlos Corberan's exit and formerly managed Armstrong at Blackburn.

A seasoned goalscorer at Championship level, Armstrong's haul of 24 goals and 13 assists helped to lead Southampton straight back to the Premier League last term, with the frontman scoring the only goal in the play-off final victory over Leeds United at Wembley in May.

However, he was unable to get going in a struggling Southampton side during the first-half of the top-flight campaign before returning to the Championship to join West Brom on loan until the end of the season.

Armstrong opened his account on debut in a 2-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday but has not added to his tally in the subsequent four matches.

Lee Hendrie urges West Brom to seal permanent Adam Armstrong, Southampton transfer agreement

Nonetheless, West Brom have been told to try and make Armstrong's stay in the West Midlands a permanent one.

Speaking exclusively to FLW, Hendrie said: "I think so [when asked whether West Brom should consider signing Armstrong permanently]. He's proved that he can score goals in the Championship, you look at his record with Blackburn and then obviously Southampton where he scored bundles of goals.

"I think it's also about having the right fit for the club and West Brom have a really decent squad of players. They've had to cut back on who they bring in, I think it would all depend on what sort of fee.

"Most clubs [in the Championship] would certainly look to take Armstrong because when you've proved that you're a goalscorer in the Championship, the top clubs do look around that and think 'yes, let's get his signature'.

"I think it would be a great purchase for West Brom if everything was right going forward, because he scores goals."

Permanent Adam Armstrong, Southampton transfer agreement could be difficult to pull off for West Brom

It is easy to see the upside that would come with a full-time deal for Armstrong, but the likelihood of actually pulling off such a move is up for debate at this moment in time.

Armstrong was poor in the Premier League for Southampton but is about as consistent and prolific as marksmen come at this level. The Saints are nailed-on for relegation, having amassed a dismal tally of two victories, nine points and 22 defeats from 27 top-flight matches, leaving them some 13 points off safety.

That means they will already have one firm eye on the Championship next season and history shows how they would benefit from having the ex-Newcastle United and Blackburn striker back in the fold.