Southampton secured the signing of Aston Villa’s Cameron Archer for £15 million in mid-August, and the young striker has been tipped by journalist Adam Blackmore to be ‘the surprise package’ of the Premier League this campaign.
Archer was part of a dismal Sheffield United team that were relegated to the Championship last season after securing just 16 points in the top flight, with the number nine netting four goals in 29 league appearances for the Blades. Villa were forced to activate the buy-back clause inserted into the player’s contract in South Yorkshire as part of the agreement that took him to Bramall Lane, but moved quickly to sell him again just two months later.
Russell Martin was eager to add a third striker to his ranks, to provide competition for the likes of Adam Armstrong and Ben Brereton Diaz, and identified Archer as a promising target. The 22-year-old has thus far been limited to outings off the bench in the Premier League for the Saints, although he did score twice in a 5-3 League Cup victory over Cardiff City.
Blackmore: Archer Will Be Surprise Package
The forward has looked promising so far
Developing through Villa’s academy, having joined the West Midlands club at the age of eight, Archer enjoyed successful successive loan spells in the Championship before completing a move to Sheffield United. The Walsall-born man scored seven goals in 20 appearances for Preston North End during the 2021/22 season, before netting 11 in 20 for Middlesbrough the year after.
Making the step-up to the highest level last campaign, Archer struggled to find the back of the net frequently in a poor Blades team. The relegated side reportedly bought the young forward for £18 million, with Villa repurchasing him just 12 months later for an undisclosed fee.
Unai Emery’s side clearly sensed they could make a profit on the player, shipping him off to the South Coast to join Russel Martin’s ensemble last month. Despite not starting a league game yet, Archer netted twice against Cardiff in the League Cup, and has been promising in his cameos so far.
Speaking on the BBC’s Saints and Sinners podcast, Southampton journalist Adam Blackmore tipped the former Villa man to be ‘the surprise package’ this campaign, when discussing the striker situation at St. Mary’s:
“No, look, we’re going to be there. Cameron Archer’s going to be the surprise package.”
With both Brereton Diaz and Armstrong putting up blanks thus far for the Saints, it’ll be a test of Martin’s faith in the duo as to how long he decides to stick with them before granting Archer an opportunity from the start of a game.
| Archer’s Premier League Statistics 2023/24 | |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 29 |
| Goals | 4 |
| Assists | 1 |
| Shots Per 90 | 2.06 |
| Expected Goals Per 90 | 0.27 |
| Key Passes Per 90 | 1.13 |
| Expected Assists Per 90 | 0.07 |
Brereton Diaz Substituted in First Half For Chile
The forward was removed in the 35th minute
Archer’s case for a start could’ve been aided by Brereton Diaz’ nightmarish and humiliating experience while on international duty with Chile. The former Blackburn striker was hooked by the South American side’s boss Ricardo Gareca in the 35th minute on Wednesday night, a decision that is said to have ‘killed’ the player and the team as they ultimately lost 2-1 to Bolivia.
The Argentine manager made the tactical decision to replace the striker with midfielder Vicente Pizarro and while the substitution may not have been provoked by an overwhelmingly poor half from Ben Brereton Diaz, the optics don’t look good for the Chilean.
He will be looking to put that behind him though when the Saints host Manchester United in the lunchtime kick-off on Saturday, as they aim to pick up their first points of the season.
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