Blackburn manager Mowbray warns Armstrong off Everton move
Blackburn Rovers manager Tony Mowbray has warned forward Adam Armstrong against leaving Ewood Park following interest from Everton and West Ham.
The Toffees are keen to add a winger this summer while they may also find themselves in need of a new striker should both Josh King and Moise Kean depart the club, and Armstrong has emerged as a potential target.
The 24-year has been in scintillating form for Rovers this season, scoring 24 times in the Championship while only having missed just six games throughout the campaign.
Everton are expected to invest in improving their squad this summer with Carlo Ancelotti keen to build a force before the club move to their Bramley-Moore Dock Stadium.
With Armstrong entering the final year of his contract in Lancashire Mowbray admits that Blackburn can’t stop him from leaving this summer, though he does suggest the player would benefit from remaining put for the time being.
As reported by the Lancashire Telegraph, Mowbray said: “If, in his stomach, he wants to go and play in the Premier League and he wants to do it now, we’re not really in a position, financially, to stop that.
“My advice to Adam, when I’ve been sitting down and chatting to him, would be that there’s growth for him here.
“He has to ask himself; ‘is he going to start in the Premier League, play all 38 games and score 20 goals in the Premier League, now?’, I would suggest, maybe not.
“My suggestion would be that he should stay here, sign a good contract, enjoy playing every week, score another 25-30 goals and keep learning the game.
“He’s still a young lad and it’s not as if his career is running away from him and the time’s winding down.”
Not sure about that
Though Mowbray is speaking with his club’s best interests at heart, namely that Blackburn want to keep Armstrong, his statement does come off slightly self-serving.
At 24-years old, Armstrong really should be playing Premier League football if he’s good enough to attract interest. If he were younger, staying put might be the better option, but not at his age.
Labelled a ‘top quality player‘ earlier in the season, Armstrong should be playing regularly in the Premier League and remaining with Blackburn isn’t going to help him reach that goal any time soon.
Quite whether Everton would be willing to bring him to Goodison Park is another matter, with Carlo Ancelotti remaining coy on the subject of signing forward players when the transfer window opens.
However with Armstrong’s contract running down and with Blackburn not able to play hardball given their finances, Armstrong could be an option worth exploring at a more affordable price than many other targets across the continent.
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